


The (unkept) huge secret of Beacon Hills

by Tsumikaze



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek, Alpha Mate Stiles Stilinski, Angel Stiles, Eventual Romance, F/M, Hybrids, M/M, Major Hale hunt, Mates, Pack, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Pack Feels, monsters and hunters all around
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-17
Updated: 2014-10-16
Packaged: 2018-02-17 18:21:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 53,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2318933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsumikaze/pseuds/Tsumikaze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It took Stiles exactly three minutes and ten seconds to realize that one, Derek biggest-idiot-to-ever-become-an-alpha-werewolf Hale was actually (barely) safe. Two, all of the pack were staring at him with a dumbfounded expression, their faces twitching in surprise that would almost amuse him if they weren't paralyzed to the bone and for number three, which mostly consisted in the big, dark wings coming out of his back hurting like only hell did. And it was ironically funny, since he was half-angel.</p><p>The main problem is, of course, that now everyone he knew and cared for in Beacon Hills were aware there had always been a fucking angel around them, like all of the time.</p><p>Or that fic in which Stiles is half an angel, his wings hurt a lot, Derek is the little shady but good alpha that shares this little sarcastic kind of humor with Stiles, Scott is still with Allison (or trying), and neither Allison, Erica or Boyd are dead. Jackson is home and going out with Lydia, and everyone is pack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The discovery

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this may have been born over my obsession with SPN that now's rubbing on Teen wolf. But anyway! Why not?
> 
> Do comment if you find grammatical or orthographical errors in the story. As a person whose mother language isn't English, I love getting feedbacks to improve my writing.
> 
> Oh, and please show some love if you like this ;)

It had started like a very peaceful and normal morning in Beacon Hills.

Stiles had already jumped from his bed and got onto his feet, brushing his teeth and washing up his face to make his way downstairs to the kitchen afterwards, briefly remembering that his dad would be back by ten or at least only a little later than he expected due to his latest evenings shifts at the station. The he proceeded to sit down at the table, pouring his slightly sugared cereal (the one his dad wasn't allowed to touch because of his diet) into his bowl, before staring sleepily at breakfast, his head lolling dangerously close to the milk.

Taking the first bite was exactly the moment he realized something was off.

Why, you ask? Well, that could easily be noticed by a certain amount of things Stiles had managed to research as his all-mornings check ups at the pack, eventually having all of the members get used to his procedures, Derek convincing them that it was to prevent to prevent further attacks that directly affected them, although Stiles was quite sure he only wanted some excuse to kind-of stalk his pack "for their own safety" or something.

First thing in list, none of the pack had texted Stiles just yet, even Scott who used to tell him about his never ending drama with Allison (that he really didn't listen all through to know it was going to end exactly the same in most situations), nor Lydia, who chatted almost too much, her brightness (and sharp bluntness) shining though her words and swiftly making him remind his little (or big) old crush on her, before he eventually gave up and came out to his pack and friends (his dad said he kinda knew, which was as weird as their relationship could get), no need to hide anymore. Isaac didn't text Stiles as much, nor did Erica or Boyd, but they liked keeping him close. All in all, not having any texts from them was simply strange, all of it.

Anyways, number two was that Derek hadn't texted overnight. Derek Hale ALWAYS texted him overnight, right when he was asleep and practically unable to answer (making him believe he was right outside the house focusing his crazy alpha senses on him), barely some words like 'Everything in order' or just 'Nothing new' or even 'There's a strange smell. Get your ass here right now'. They had agreed to do that months ago, when some (other) supernatural creature tried to kill Stiles, striking his leg and making him bleed before it's skin (or cloth?) was ripped out by Derek's claws. Ever since the Alpha used Stiles to maintain his relationship with the only other two human members of the pack Allison and Lydia (although the first wasn't completely a part of it but it just simply felt like so), the two girls still a little resented by Derek's past actions and he still showed no desire to get closer to them, ignoring Stiles' allegations of his decisions, and that kinda had them fighting almost 24/7. However, it was clear for Stiles that Derek cared deeply for his pack, even though the many tragedies he lived made him the rash, unbearable werewolf he was.

Number three, once confirmed that numbers one and two didn't happen, consisted mainly in supervising any evidence of any other supernatural creature possibly knocking at his door and being like 'Hey, I want to kill the Hale pack. Lean your neck over here to slice you open, thank you'. It happened most of the times Stiles had proved his theories with, the only exceptions (where there was not even the slightest idea what they were going to face) being the occasions when any or many of them were almost killed by some assassin or monster that happened to reach Beacon Hills.

In short, if his pack didn't come loudly into his place rampaging about Jackson's tricks being a little too much, or Derek didn't entered his house uninvited and shoved Stiles to a wall, or no strange monsters, magicians, little elves, assassins, crazy hunters, were-things, or even the goddamn Boy Scouts selling cookies for Charity knocked at his door, there was something off.

Something was downright wrong.

There was NEVER a normal morning in Beacon Hills.

Stiles pretty much tossed all of the cereal and milk inside my mouth, chewing briefly before hardly swallowing up all he could take. With a little more help of the milk, he was up and running towards his room upstairs, reaching out to his phone as soon as he got in, sitting down in his bed with a sight and a nervous tic in his leg, bumping up and down against the floor as he tapped a message for Scott.

'Dude, what the hell's up?' Stiles sent it twice and waited like two seconds to text Isaac and Boyd with similar messages. Not even a minute later he was texting Allison and Lydia (because damn, neither of them turned off their phones EVER), and hell, he even had the nerve to text Jackson.

Stiles' patience was already at it's limit with only five minutes of walking around restlessly, and that's when he finally decided to build up the courage to call Derek since the older man almost NEVER answered his texts (but he did like to be answered that bastard). Things had been a little tense around the two, mainly because of their every other discussion that almost ended with Stiles clashing their mouths together if he hadn't ran away in that exact moment, and luckily Derek didn't follow, because he wouldn't be able to hold back any longer and likely would've ruined the barely stable relationship they had managed to build. Obviously Stiles knew that "a", Derek wasn't gay, and "b", was only playing around with him for the sake of his pack. Stiles had researched this fact in packs over the net and had actually asked Deaton about it, so he knew it was a very solid possibility.

Feeling very uncomfortable, Stiles gulped, actually prying Derek would hang up as soon as he recognized his voice, letting him know there was nothing wrong whatsoever and that the bubbling feeling in his chest was really only caused by Stiles sleeping in a bad position. He heard several tones over the line until finally voice mail came up, and Stiles had to resist the urge to throw his cellphone through the window of his room.

He called once again, several tones starting again "C'mon Derek, pick up. Don't do this to me now".

"Don't do what?".

Stiles nearly tripped with his own desk chair when he turned around very quick "Dad! You're home earlier..." His eyes twitched nervously before slowly setting his phone down on his desk.

There was a pause in which Stiles stared uncomfortably, his mouth in a straight line. His father simply glared down at the phone, and surprised him when it suddenly rang. Stiles, excited and almost unable to cover it up all, reached down in reflex and took it up.

He briefly saw Scott's name on the screen before turning at the confused expression and the raised eyebrow at him. Stiles waved his hand in the air "It's... Just Scott dad. You know, he wanted us to meet before today's game. You'll be there, right?".

For a moment he thought his father would deny the invitation as he had over the years with many things Stiles had wanted, ever since his mother's death. Stiles didn't blame him though, the man struggled to keep both the job and the one person he loved in the world.

Instead, a smile made its way through the confused face "Of course I'll go, Stiles. It's the final, I would never miss it".

"Really?" Stiles could hardly help the enormous grin similar to a child's in Disneyland, already nervous for the match.

"Really" His father responded, making his way towards him and resting one of his hands in his shoulder, patting it twice and sighting at his son's expression. But then added "And be careful around that Hale child. No sex with him until you're eighteen".

Stiles blushed immediately and backed away "Dad!" The little pitch in his voice sounded more like a fan girl squeal than anything else. Pathetic Stilinski, pathetic.

"I'm just making sure son, no matter if your BF is a supernatural creature, remember to use protection!"

"Oh my god. First of all, we're not even close to dating. And second... Okay, We're not having this conversation. Now I'm really going run all the way to school if I can somehow forget this even happened by that" Stiles got his Jeep keys in his hand and his already set backpack onto his left shoulder before walking towards the door, but stopped. He turned around, narrowing his eyes at his father "You did that on purpose to make me leave for school? What kind of evil mind do you have?".

"Let's just say, son, that your intellect didn't only come from your mother".

Stiles snorted at him before running out the door, down the stairs, out of the house and then onto his Jeep. It had taken some time of serious talks and several father-son speeches, but his Dad finally had accepted that Stiles was a part of the pack, and actually helped as much as he could in pack's matters (although he had no idea how he knew he'd crushed hard on Derek, and actually how he managed to tease him that much). Stiles still accepted how hilarious it had been when Derek was first called to the station by the Sheriff, to discuss matters regarding 'responsibilities of being with underaged students as a werewolf's pack', especially seeing how Derek's face urged to look away but couldn't, and twisted in embarrassment at every other word. Other than that, his dad had been an enormous help for the pack.

However, as much as he loved that his father was supportive, he didn't want him totally involved in pack matters, even though Derek had said it was about time to add him as a member. But Stiles couldn't ever bear seeing his father directly exposed to the supernatural creatures as his son already was. He didn't want to lose the only parent he had left, so Derek had not insisted any longer.

It made Stiles feel bad talking about his parents when Derek's entire family had been murdered except for Peter, who went mad. Stiles knew that Derek's only hope for a different life were them, his pack. That was the cause to his overprotection, because inside of him, no matter how many times he denied it, he was terrified of loosing his new family.

He sighted, trying not to get his mind focused in some other stuff, and read the text Scott had sent. Stiles almost punched the machine. It had been a frustrating 'Bro, 's up?'.

'Duh, that's the thing Scott' he answered briefly, his fingers clumsily shaking and trowing themselves in the way of the other. His best friend's response wasn't really reassuring. Stiles loved Scott, but even he admitted how slow the werewolf was to understand things completely 'Nothing's up!'.

'... Is this some kind of trick to cover us in scrambled eggs in the school field again? Because if that's so, being against a werewolf should definitely worry you'.

Stiles rolled his eyes at the text 'Okay, first, that was only once! Not to mention I'd never tell you if I was up to something because it would simply stop being funny. And second, I'm fucking serious Scott! Something's off somewhere and my check list didn't even get through. Nobody else texts me back to say they're okay. And your fucking Alpha doesn't pick up the phone!'.

'Derek's your Alpha too, you know'.

'Yeah, but I get privileges from my hard work as a human in a werewolf pack dealing with a shady Alpha, and one of those is insulting him as much as I want. But don't change the subject! I know something's wrong'.

'Stiles, you're exaggerating'.

'I am NOT, Scott'. Stiles assured him while a shiver came down his spine.

'Right, look dude' the next message came up after some seconds of waiting 'Erica, Voyd and Isaac all started taking courses 'til late at night, and told me they'd turned off their cellphones to sleep until midday so they were refreshed for lacrosse. Jackson and Lydia are doing their things at New York and just now boarded the plane back home. And Derek said he had to run some errants for another pack near our territory, so I'd not expect him to pick up'.

Stiles slowly processed everything remembering all they had mentioned to him. He already knew everything that Scott was saying, but had expected them to at least text him something like 'I'm somewhere' or 'I'm getting laid' or whatever really. Well, he knew 'everything' about the rest of pack except for the Alpha.

'Wait, wasn't meeting like next week?' There was an uncomfortable pause that could've lasted less than Stiles thought it did 'Scott, please don't tell me I'm the last one to know' Again, a pause. His best friend didn't send a reply, and it wasn't because he was pretty busy '... The alpha jerk really didn't tell me, huh?'

'Hey, if this helps, he only told us because we were up 'til late at his place, and also he said he didn't want to worry you since the game's today, and maybe you could get um... shaken?'

Stiles felt like crushing the phone 'So, you're telling me that because according to him I'm a weak, vulnerable and not mentally stable human, and not some still teenaged, obviously not mature were-puppy of his, it's perfectly fine for me to not know something so important as the fucking ALPHA of OUR PACK leaving our FUCKING TERRITORY!'.

'Don't wind up on me, dude! I'm not at fault here!' Stiles even took a bit of a moment to consider his friend's words, but felt overwhelmed by the anger at his Alpha 'Just... okay. But it's Derek. He's done this kind of things before'.

'But that was time ago, Scott' Stiles had to take a deep breath 'I'd thought he had changed after living with us...'

There was a long pause. Stiles obliged to look at the entrance of his house and calm down a little, and that's when the phone rang 'Maybe there was another reason...?'.

Stiles thought that much already. Derek hadn't wanted him to know, but had told all the werewolves of the pack, which means he wanted them to be wary of things while he was out. Because obviously, when the Alpha was not around, the whole pack became tense about pretty much anything. But why had he done that? That was the main question Stiles had in his head.

'Anyway' Stiles typed after some minutes 'I'll talk to him as soon as he comes back. Just promise you guys won't be going nuts over little puppies crossing the street in front of us. If I as much as catch you guys unnecessarily showing teeth in public, I've got some wolfsbane on me waiting for you guys just as it's reserved for Derek'.

There was a pause '... Joking, right?'.

Stiles rolled his eyes 'What do you think?' He could almost hear Scott gulping in his mind 'By the way, where's Allison?'.

'Well...'.

Another pause, as Stiles' face twisted in horror 'You know what? Nevermind, I truly don't want to know of my friend's sex life. You two fuck like bunnies!'.

* * *

 

Stiles got into his lacrosse uniform feeling like something was about to strike them right there.

And why? Because everything was going pretty damn PERFECT so far!

That's simply not good!

Stiles' intern alarms had been going off for a while, ever since he left his house and got to school. He had noticed how calm the whole drive had been, no important notice over the radio that he had specially hacked to listen to police announcements, just some check-ins from random officers. He had also seen how everybody in school was pretty excited about the match that afternoon, and it would've been totally overseen by Stiles if his pack wasn't that much happy over it. The fucking alpha was gone, and they were changing their werewolf obsession of safety into showing excitement over a game, and that was a good move from them. Which makes that course of action even weirder, because even if some of them did a good move for once without Derek, not ALL of them ever went along with the others.

Isaac was as sarcastic as always, that was okay. But even so, the happily-living atmosphere that he carried with Erica and Boyd (Boyd smiling! SMILING!) was making Stiles go crazy. Lydia had arrived with Jackson around an hour and a half before the game, and before she left to take her seats with Allison she was saying 'sweet' stuff to them (Lydia cheering people up! CHEERING!). And even Jackson had been just like 'I hope you don't mess up, Stilinski. Do a good game' (Jackson not being a total ASSHOLE! JACKSON!), which was not even possible in Stiles' logic.

He even started to think they were all possessed by some cheerleaders that tragically died when their bus crashed and their souls just entered his pack. And those suspicions, not exactly that theory but the certainty that something was going to go wrong, were making everything even more tense for him. He even told the werewolves to be specially careful no matter how smoothy things were, and specially told Erica to protect Allison and Lydia of something was to happen at any time. Of course, his pack had called him crazy, but he was sure that at least they would take it into consideration because, after Derek, he had also a say and rank between them, a place he'd earned with hard work.

Thirty minutes later, Stiles was surprised even him was playing just great, of course that just leaving the werewolves aside. They had always had a step forward in therms of strength and speed, but Stiles was still human, and he was playing just as good.

Yes, that was something Stiles felt like totally crazy, and even thought he was dreaming, but confirmed he was not when he checked his and his best friend's hands for extra fingers and there were none. Even looking at the trophy being passed to his hand after he scored the decisive blow that allowed them to win, Stiles' instinct was telling him that something was wrong, and if it wasn't in that field, then it must be somewhere else.

Just when everybody let him down after carrying him around in the shoulders of his team, still as exited as screaming and jumping over each other, Stiles was convinced of the little detail bugging his mind.

Derek was in danger.

He could tell the exact moment when his pack suddenly stiffed. Boyd and Isaac quickly went off the way of the team's group and the people celebrating and started running towards the east. Stiles noticed they were halfway to transforming as running out of the crowd, and immediately started making his way towards them.

He managed to see Scott's eyes glowing as he grabbed onto his uniform as quickly as he could before he also ran off. From the corner of his eye, Erica was pushing people around and guiding Allison and Lydia towards them. Just then, he turned again to Scott.

"What is it?!" He said, trying to make it not hearable for anyone else but werewolves' ears. Jackson suddenly appeared among the crowd and ran towards the direction where Isaac and Boyd had gone to, his uniform already being ripped by claws and falling off his body.

Scott turned to him. His face was twitching, his frown deep, and the teeth coming out from his mouth. His eyes were still glowing bright, so Stiles had to grab him by the arm and away from the people so that nobody else noticed. Just as Erica and the girls reached them, Stiles took his best friend's shoulders and shook him.

Scott looked away, huffing and twisting like he wanted to run too, but stayed surely because of the need from the alpha to protect the rest of the pack, just as Erica was feeling for sure. The alpha always managed to let the orders flow with his smell or howls or something like that, as Scott tried to explain them time ago when they had just joined the pack.

"Scott!" Stiles shook his best friend again as he looked at him, the howl about to get loose and out of his throat. But instead, he held back, taking very steady deep breath as he could.

"It's Derek. He's..." He looked at Stiles, a hint of worry passing so quick his face "He's chasing something. There's his blood and it's like... a monster and hunters coming right here"

Stiles didn't have enough time to process that before a howl literally filled his ears completely. Even the cheers and cries of the celebration stopped as it silenced even the kids in there. Stiles could recognize that howl even asleep or wounded deeply. The alpha was back.

But it was not all, a second howl, this time a very hoarse and dark one, came towards them. Stiles could tell whatever it was, it was getting even closer. He turned to where the bunch of people were reunited briefly, as the coach was saying something about the party inside the school, and the people was making their way there chatting now very quietly, probably careful due to some 'wolf's attacks' they had fed the normal townspeople with. Stiles couldn't be more grateful to the coach for that.

However, he hadn't really considered the little fact of the people looking forward to congratulate him until they were in plain sight, all the people he cared about (and those who he didn't but at least knew the name). His dad and some of the police station officers, some teachers, Danny, Lydia's family, Allison's father Chris Argent, Mrs. McCall... damn it, even Deaton was among them.

And that's exactly when everything became hell.

Stiles should've known that anything could happen with supernatural creatures, but nothing could have prepared for the rain of strange leaves strangely moving horizontally and towards them, because obviously, leaves don't always try to kill you! One of those cut his cheeks as if it was a knife while passing by him, and noticed how they were moving towards the other people there.

"Dad, look out!"

His dad didn't have enough time to react. Stiles felt his heart jumping when the leaves flew towards his father, all about the same speed. However, there was a clashing sound, and suddenly, Scott was standing right in front of the man and the others, already in his werewolf form, his claws moving around and tearing the things apart.

Stiles looked at the faces of those who knew nothing about the supernatural creatures of Beacon Hills as many of them fell to the ground, completely scared to the bone and unable to believe what they were just watching. Their faces were pretty much the same, terror.

"Scott! Don't let any of them move from there!" His best friend nodded as he continually moved his arms, claws clashing as if they were fighting metal. Stiles knew if someone were to run away, the leaves would follow, and no werewolf speed could save them twice.

Stiles saw from the corner of his eye how Allison pulled out her crossbow from her purse (that thing was impressively useful) as Erica continually stopped flying leaves with her claws, just as Scott was doing. She seemed to look everywhere for a chance to find whatever was firing those things, but she quickly got distracted as she also had to use her weapons to deviate the leaves from Lydia.

"Shit!" Stiles made his way to the group of people Scott was eagerly protecting, pulling out his shirt and equipment in the process, forgetting about the cold air hitting his bare shoulders that were left uncovered by the sweatshirt. He didn't care about anything else but the safety of the people there, and in the way he tried to remember the protective spells Deaton had taught him.

However, Stiles almost fell over when the whole earth seemed to shaken. He had to wobble and trip like three times before finding his own balance and running again. When fighting supernatural creatures, he knew humans needed some kind of protection, and felt truly impressed with himself for being careful enough to carry a bag of mountain ash attached to the back of belt.

But he couldn't even reach them when he heard same not-Derek's howl as before, but this time even closer. From the corner of his eye, he saw a big shadow coming closer to him at an incredible speed. He hadn't even turned completely before feeling the strong breathing right above him, the huffs filled with warmth that almost burned, and little drops of saliva that fell on his shoulder.

As his eyes looked up, Stiles felt the pinch of fear rampaging into his chest "Hey, handsome" he said, because okay, he needed some kind of sarcastic outlet to the feeling of being literally half a step from a human-like figure about two people tall, muscled, arms way larger than they should be, teeth prominent and yellow, eyes glowing bright red, and body covered in hair in most of the part of his body, or should he say 'its' body, because Stiles had no idea what the heck it was. It looked like the lost child of Chewbacca and Terminator with a little mixture of horror and Michael Jordan on top.

Stiles could tell his head would've probably been teared up and away from the rest of his body if it wasn't for the creature being tossed and landing far away from where he was. Stiles felt his breath slowly returning to him and his heart beating impossibly faster. He passed a hand over his face and hair as he glared at the person beside him "It's okay to have a pet, Derek. But next time, I want a inoffensive, cute puppy instead of a killing hairy machine".

The older man groaned, and for a second Stiles felt just glad for seeing Derek there, and safe. It was as if a wave of relief passed over him, his heart finally giving in to the accumulated feeling of anxiety he had built. 'Cause Derek wasn't dead, he was there, standing right in front of him, in one piece, and that was everything Stiles could think about. That, of course, until he saw Derek's chest covered in dried blood, his shirt teared apart, but thankfully his wounds had healed, although not completely. His arms sustained various cuts and Stiles thought he could see marks of bites in his neck.

"So, would you say meeting didn't go well?".

"Shut the hell up, Stiles!".

Stiles would've taken it as an insult and probably engage in another discussion if one, they weren't in the middle of a battle, and two, Derek hadn't dragged him around, pulling him close to the heat that was his body. Stiles thought he wouldn't blush in those kinda situations, except that he did, but kept in mind that he would think about it later when they weren't chased by Chewminator Jr, jumping all over the place to get them between its claws.

Derek tossed Stiles to the ground as he took a full blow from the creature that had came in a single jump, its nails sinking into Derek's flesh. The alpha's transformation was already showing as his jaw dropped, letting his teeth come out within a deep roar, the bright red coming out of Derek's eyes as his teeth sank into the monster's neck.

'Tearing one's throat out with your teeth, huh?' He thought just how funny it would be to tease Derek later, but right at the moment he had to focus on surviving.

Stiles took Derek's attack as an opportunity to run away from there and towards the people. He should've know Deaton would be long gone by then, as he obviously was. He had a policy of not interfering in fights no matter what, but that just almost left Stiles thinking of him as a coward if he wasn't the one to guide and patch them up in times of need. However, Stiles was quite glad Chris Argent was with them, already in a defensive position, guns sticking out of his coat. But he was so not glad to see his father trying to follow his steps. Damn.

He was halfway there when his head was almost cut in half by the arrow that passed right by the point of his nose "Ahhh!".

He heard Derek's shout "Out of the way, Stiles! Now!"

Stiles fell back, moving desperately away from that spot and then stumbled back onto his feet and gasped other arrows passed by his hair and his left leg. He stood very still, breathing hard, and glared almost immediately at the shadow of a vehicle coming towards them. It resembled his Jeep if it wasn't for the weapons attached that made it look like a military tank.

He saw Derek roaring at the Jeep, the creature that held him slowly loosing its force as purple blood came out of its neck, just as Jackson and Boyd appeared from the trees following the killing jeep, roaring back at their alpha's order. Isaac was nowhere to be seen just yet, and Stiles tried to keep himself from getting worried. Scott roared, and Erica soon followed, the flying leaves already gone. They jumped forward and moved to where Derek was.

Erica snatched the creature away from Derek, jumping on it and slaying its neck multiple times before it stopped clawing at her legs. Scott stood beside Stiles until they reached Derek.

"Derek, please don't tell me you teased some hunters and now they're paying us back" Stiles told him as the vehicle stopped a few feet from them.

Jackson and Boyd didn't move, waiting for whoever it was to come outside. As Stiles saw Scott's face twitching he figured the thing had mountain ash somewhere and they couldn't get through.

He turned back to the alpha as he groaned "Derek, what did you do?".

"It was a trap" He said, simply. His eyes turned to normal, and some frustration and guilt came out of him"I tried to distract them from getting here but they found out because that pack betrayed us".

Stiles felt annoyed "See? Now you see? I fucking told YOU how weird it was! And still, for some reason, you didn't listen! You NEVER listen to me! See what happens?"

"Really, Stiles?" Derek turned, his werewolf features slowly fading "You want to talk about this now? Well, maybe if you weren't constantly bugging me with your babblings and speeches I would be actually able to think clearly!"

"I think we all agree that's something you simply DON'T do!" Stiles replied, his voice showing his frustration at Derek.

He had warned him restlessly how that meeting with the other pack, being their most important demand for the alpha to go alone, even when they were close friends of his family, was just too risky when they pack was still a baby compared to others. And he had yet again ignored him completely. Okay, Stiles could understand he thought he would still have a part of his past, but he should've put the safety of his current pack AND himself before all that.

"Guys! It's not the time to fight now!" Scott roared, his body changing to stand ready to throw himself at anything that came out of the killing Jeep.

Derek changed to his werewolf form again, but Stiles knew he was about to wolf out completely and change to the big, black wolf with red eyes he had seen the last time he was almost killed. He wondered why he hadn't, and realized it may be because of the group of people Chris Argent and now Allison (that had dragged Lydia with her) were ready to protect, many of which were scared enough to be paralized. Danny was just there, standing and unable to believe any of what was happening, while the Sheriff tried to help talking to them, his gun already out and ready.

Stiles' attention turned back to the Jeep. The passenger door opened with a kick of the person inside, and so did the others. Jackson and Boyd jumped forward, teeth and claws and eyes glowing bright, their expression twitching in rage. They charged with all they could and were ready to tear anybody apart. Derek roared as Scott and Erica went there too, Derek running fast just behind them.

But suddenly, even when Stiles turned slightly to the side not to see the blood that was about to flow, he had to turn back at the sudden groan of pain that hadn't come from any hunter, but from his pack. Jackson fell to the ground, his arm and legs crossed by arrows. Boyd soon came down similarly, the arrows all around his chest. Stiles felt his heart skipping when other two came flying towards Erica and Scott, but they were soon stopped by Derek, that had jumped forward to protect his betas.

Stiles watched in horror as more arrows came flying to them, and more kept hitting Jackson and Boyd as soon as they dared to move. In less than a second they didn't anymore, and Stiles just knew the arrows had something that paralyzed them, or more like he wanted to believe they were just paralyzed. Scott groaned, and Erica screamed. Derek's howl was even more devastating.

Erica had been hit by an arrow in her shoulder, and so did Scott in his left arm. They would have been hit again if it wasn't for Derek, who tossed them like three feet away, receiving himself multiple hits of arrows, which his arms constantly tried to take away. However, the last one made him howl, the pain in his voice, his eyes watering a bit as his face contracted in rage. It wasn't just an arrow, it was freaking harpoon that had sunk into Derek's left shoulder, way too close to his heart.

Stiles felt his own body running towards him but stopping suddenly. The aching pain started in his leg, but soon extended to all of his body. The back of the arrow was as much as he could take out, biting his own lip. He let out a cry that drowned and got lost in the next wave that invaded him. His body stopped responding, numbness running through his blood until it settled down completely.

"Stiles!" His father screamed, but luckily Allison's dad stopped him from getting closer.

Stiles fell forward, and even didn't feel the grass in his face. Miraculously, he managed to move his head, looking up and finally glaring at the people getting out of the killing Jeep. They were all men so far, dressed all in black as if the color in their skin even didn't exist, all carrying guns and loading them, and he didn't have to be close to know those bullets were made to kill werewolves.

One of the men opened the only door that hadn't before, and a heel came down to the ground. A woman that looked like a supermodel with the face of a very kind (deadly) granny stepped away from the vehicle.

"Well, well, well" She said, her voice ringing annoyingly in Stiles' ears.

She glared around, the betas and the people far away from them. Then she stared at Stiles, a unreadable expression in her face, before turning to Derek, who still remained on his feet. Stiles knew it wouldn't be for long seeing the alpha's paleness and panting.

"It's kind of interesting. This new Hale pack not only has werewolves and a banshee, but a simple and common human" Her face twisted as her eyes glared at Stiles once again before turning back "That and hunters that drown in betrayal".

"What's the meaning of this?" Chris Argent said from his spot, the woman turned her head almost 180 degrees. Stiles seriously considered the existence of were-owls "We made peace with the Hales years ago, and maintained it so far. This isn't your territory, Amalia!" He lifted his gun, but avoided pointing it at her because of her full armed bodyguards.

The woman, or Amalia, laughed. Stiles thought he would pay anyone to shut up that damn voice "It seems that now, it is no one's. The resolution came out some days ago, this place is no longer under the Hale family since, well, they were completely wiped out except for him" He pointed at Derek. The alpha groaned, but couldn't move unless he wanted to fall, and Stiles just knew how Derek liked showing himself strong to his enemies "It wouldn't have if you had been wary enough, Chris, to put your hands to good use".

She held a hand up, the men started walking towards Chris and Allison and his dad and Lydia and everyone, as Stiles felt his heart skipping. They weren't pointing their guns yet, but he knew it would be in a glimpse of a second. He tried to move, but so far only managed to continually shiver like a mad man.

Chris' grip of his own guns tightened "What exactly do you mean by that?".

"Don't you know?" Amalia laughed again, her neck twisting in a way that always made Stiles wanna puke "The Hales are to be destroyed. A price has been put to their heads recently, that's why the resolution appeared, and if a Hunter like me is interested it means its not cheap" Stiles gasped as the woman moved her head, turning back to Derek "This little alpha, especially, is very expensive for the contracting party".

Her hand passed over Derek's chin, touching with her fingers the crock of his neck in a slow, caressing move. Stiles felt rage inside his chest, and he knew it was precisely because that granny whore was touching Derek. Being jealous in that kind of moment was certainly surprising. But it quickly was overpowered by rage.

"And... do you know why it is such a good deal, alpha cub?" The woman grabbed Derek's jaw in her hand, her nails digging into his beard. The man didn't move, not that he could anyway, but he was frowning and his eyes glared a bright red "Because there's no need for you to be alive for it".

Metal was thorn apart. Soon, Stiles saw a flying door coming right towards granny bitch Amalia, dangerously close to crushing her beneath. Of such kind came the others objects that Stiles recognized were attached to the Jeep.

One of the enormous pieces of metal caught two of the men off guard, hitting one in the head and crushing it (he didn't have to look twice to know he was dead) and the other in the arm and seemly broking it, but said man didn't even move or screamed, only twisted his face for a moment. The other men easily dodged them, and sometimes even kicked them to shoot out of the way as if it was nothing. Of such kind almost hit Boyd, the metal landing right beside him, and Stiles felt glad it hadn't.

The ones that headed to granny bitch Amalia never reached her as her bodyguards took them out of the way with simple kicks. Stiles was surprised those men were still human, they looked more like moving walls with long legs. And then, glaring at the body of the creature some steps away from him, he doubted those were in fact human.

He heard panting and turned back to the Jeep. Scott and Erica were huffing, eyes glowing in the distance. Isaac was right beside them, his shirt ripped and dried blood around his body. Surely he had taken out the arrows of their bodies, but Stiles doubted they would be able to move for long. Isaac's left arm seemed broken, but healing. That aside, he seemed okay for the moment.

"What a mess" After turning to the dead body of one of her comrades, Amalia looked at Derek, her smile almost touching her ears. It clearly showed the seek of vengeance "Your puppies need some discipline"

That was the immediate signal for the three men beside her (one with the broken arm) to move towards Scott and the others. Isaac roared and Erica soon followed, their claws coming out and clasping with each other in anticipation. Scott on the other hand, decided to throw through whatever was left of the jeep, now only some pieces of metal, leather sits and tires remaining.

Stiles tried to scream at them for being so enraged and naive not to know those guys weren't even in the least close to normality, but Derek had been faster with his sudden howl. He also seemed to understand what Stiles did. The way they moved and had paralyzed them with professionalism should be enough to know they were dangerous. However, it was already too late when the dumbness in his body allowed him to pursue a pathetic whine that drowned in his throat.

One of the men quickly appeared (like, simply was near him and in the next second right far) behind Erika, grabbing her by the back of her neck and pulling her up. She revolved and fought the grip, her claws constantly hitting the man's hands and arms without succeeding at harming them. Isaac jumped forward to help her, but a hand appeared to grab his leg, dragging him to the ground. Said bodyguard quickly took his head and pushed it against the ground, hitting it and possibly breaking his nose and chin.

Scott had been doing the best of the three of them. By throwing pieces of the Jeep to the man he was slowing him down, but it didn't really avoid him from almost getting arrows in his chest such as Derek, such being fired by the men with the broken arm, his sane one holding the crossbow. Just when it seemed he was about to collapse from the venom, Isaac and Erica already paralyzed and held down by wolfsbane handcuffs that dried their power quickly, the sound of the air being teared apart and them the shout of the bodyguard was enough to make Stiles breathe again.

"Scott!"

Allison. Thanks god she had been there. In the last second, she had used one of her own arrows to strike the man, the thing sticking out of hid throat as he was gasping for air and falling down, shaking and cursing with his eyes at the girl running towards the werewolf.

She reached Scott soon enough to catch him as he collapsed, already tired. Stiles really wanted to thing the arrows used by the Hunters didn't have wolfsbane, but as he saw his best friend's reaction, he feared he could be wrong.

"It's fine, it's fine" She said at Scott's signals for her to run away "I'll protect you. I promise".

"How sickly cute".

The sound of the gunshot was not expected by anyone of them. In fact, there were several of them until silence filled the place. Stiles had to take minutes to process the entire scene, his eyes feeling weak and his heart continually beating faster.

The shot was directed to Allison, but she didn't received it. Scott had taken her place right in time, the bullet going in and out through his left shoulder, blood staining her skirt and shirt. As her eyes went wide, Scott's body fell into her arms, both of them falling down to the ground.

But it was not enough. Other bullets had been fired, most of them hitting the ground mysteriously, two hurting both of the bodyguards' legs and one striking Chris Argent' arm.

"Dad!" Allison screamed, but her father was already tripping and tumbling down after some struggling. The sheriff quickly got closer to help him.

"Don't move".

As Stiles' father turned, Amalia had one of her guns pointed at him, the other at Allison and Scott. The Sheriff gulped, hands trying to reach him without his body moving. The woman turned her head back to the girl.

"Neither of you move or you both die" This time, no smile was showing. Only the serious, bloodless glare of a killer remained.

Stiles heard metal clinking continuously as Derek opened his mouth ridiculously wide and took a bite of the woman's gun pointed at his father. The barrel subsided at the strength of his jaw, leaving her gun unusable. Soon after, the gun was breaking apart.

But that only made her frown deeper. Her fingers slipped from the gun Derek had bitten off, the thing falling down to the grass. Right before touching ground, a kick was settled in the harpoon that had sunk in Derek's shoulder, making it go even deeper.

Derek let go a groan that soon drowned in the roar that followed, but Stiles knew it hurt him by the paleness on his face. His betas started revolving around, shaking with fury but still unable to move properly. Allison tried to make Scott stop as the woman's other gun was pointed at them, but he was deeply moved by his alpha's pain.

The shot that followed wasn't directed to them, instead it had hit Derek's torso. The gun was still pressed against it as it bleed out. This time the alpha hardly could make any sound, and his body swayed back and ford. The betas howled all at the same time as Derek fell to his knees.

"De... rek..." Stiles grabbed as his whole body shook, desperately trying to move, at least just one bit closer to him. His eyes started watering in anticipation, the pain of his alpha and the sight of the gun being pressed against his temple still so clear his heart couldn't take it.

"It's over" Amalia announced as she loads the gun again, and presses it harder against Derek's forehead "This is how it ends for you and your pack, and it all started since you decided you wanted to help this other pack we were holding captive to attract you, even when you knew what could come and thought you could take it. What a silly choice to make. Even I, as a leader, understand that..."

She stopped. Her bodyguards looked up to see her turning. And to who? To Stiles, of all people. He had managed hardly to sit up on his legs and grab little rocks, and making a huge effort to fight against his numbness to toss them at her, striking her legs and hips. Well, almost all of them except for last one, that had reached the back of her head and made her turn around.

As quickly as he could, Stiles conjured up the spell he knew. Just enough loud so no one else could hear it, making sure he said it right.

"What the...!"

The woman moved her feet around, but they were still trapped by vines that tangled around them quickly. She kicked the grass around to no avail, as she seemed to realize when she pulled a knife out of her belt to start cutting them off her.

Her bodyguards were less lucky. Stiles used ever bit of strength as soon as their eyes met his to make the vines wrap around their hands and legs, growing nonstop until reaching their necks. They let go of Erica and Isaac's bodies as they fought the strong plants holding them.

A spell was only as strong as the one who cast them, Stiles knew that much. As he also knew that for them to have effect on someone, eye contact is needed. That's why when he'd managed to get their attention, he'd cast it right away. He only knew defensive spells because Deaton had refused to teach him more, but this one had worked just fine.

He casted one last spell, and felt it working very slowly. Surely in a few minutes he'd be able to stand up and run to his pack and to his alpha. Derek's state was the one that worried him the most. The bullet surely had wolfsbane in it, and was killing Derek slowly.

But he didn't want to lose him. Stiles would be destroyed if Derek died, if his pack were to be destroyed right there. That's why he had to move, he had to protect them, to save his Alpha.

"The nerve of you!" The woman shouted at him as she cursed at him. She cut the rest of the vines off as her gun pointed at Stiles.

He jolted, his body still unable to move properly to stay out of the way, but instead of trying to run, his eyes focused on Derek's body, his face too white to be okay. His eyelids seemed in need to close, but his bloodshot eyes tried desperately to stay open. His breath became even more difficult, and Stiles knew it was about time.

He casted another spell, not on himself, but on his alpha. Derek took a deep breath as the harpoon fell off his shoulder, the arrows and bullet he had received slowly coming out of his body on his own. Stiles had to keep eye contact in order to repair all the damage done to Derek's body, but he slowly felt the common tiredness of spell casting continuously. Last time he'd done the same he had to stay in the hospital for weeks until his sudden anemia was under control.

He honestly didn't care if he had to dry himself out of his life force to heal Derek, but it seemed the alpha did. As soon as the harpoon was out of his body, he closed his eyes, and Stiles felt the magic of the spell being interrupted, his heart skipping as he felt out of breath.

 _'Derek, no...!'_ Stiles gulped as he leaned forward, trying to keep on breathing. He'd felt it, Derek was about to collapse.

As Stiles looked up, noticing how silent the hunter woman had been, he saw her looking between the two. The smile was back, and her cruelty and madness was making him even more nervous. Amalia turned back to him, and stared.

"My mistake" She admitted, making a very forced reverence to Stiles "It was wrong to assume you were a simple human in a wolfpack. Now I see how deep your bond is". Stiles didn't understand why she had used those words and that tone but he knew something was bugging him with that. Sadly, she didn't give him enough time to think through "But this is over, magic boy. You'll pay for this, starting with you dearest alpha".

The bullet was pointed at Derek, the alpha looking up in less than a second, his eyes already seeing death ahead of him. His breath stopped, his body shivered for the second that followed in anticipation. Stiles felt his heart about to jump out of his chest, the howl of the betas loud in his ears.

"DEREK!"

And then, the bullet was fired.

The echo was what was left of it in Stiles head.

The image of Derek's death passed over his sight and stayed there. Blood coming out of his alpha as what was left of his body collapse. Stiles' heart skipped again and his eyes let go of the tears he'd hold back. A bunch of emotions were on rampage inside him.

Because his alpha was dead.

Because Derek was dead.

Derek Hale was dead.

But he didn't want it.

He wanted Derek to live on, to forget about the idiotic mistake he'd done believing that alone he could do something that dangerous, to spend every one his days beside Stiles, breathing the same air every time they could, and enjoying the pack together as the family that Derek wouldn't lose again.

But it was about to be taken from him.

It had been taken from Stiles.

Derek was dead.

And he couldn't take it.

No, he wouldn't permit it.

Nobody would take that happiness away.

"Aghhhh!".

When he came back to, he was looking down at the hunter granny, spinning around in the grass and touching desperately one side of her face. Smoke came out of it as if it was burning, topped with the woman's screams to the point her throat seemed about to break.

He looked in confusion at everyone. And that's when it hit him, like an amount of ridiculous werewolf strength slapping the back of his head.

It took Stiles exactly three minutes and ten seconds to realize that one, Derek Hale was (barely) safe, the alpha breathing hardly, his eyes wide. Two, all of the pack and the people in there, hunters included, were staring at him their faces twitching in surprise that would almost amuse him if they weren't paralyzed to the bone. And number three, the big, dark wings coming out of his back hurting like only hell did. And it was ironically funny, since he was half-angel.

The main problem was, of course, that now everyone he knew and cared for in Beacon Hills were aware there had always been a fucking angel around them, like all of the time.

"Holy... Shit..." Stiles said.

His head slowly turned back once again, checking his hands twice before that, looking for any extra fingers to confirm he was in fact dreaming. And he wasn't. He wasn't in the least imagining... those.

His shirt had been torn apart, and it was no longer covering his body. Instead, the black, glowing feathers moved again, shivering with the cold air and the movement of the muscles of his wings. He was standing in front of Derek, and seeing him was realizing that it was very real.

His unbearable pain was very real.

Which mean none of his childhood's memories were lies he'd come up with as his mother died.

And he was an angel.

Stiles was a freaking angel, for god's sake.

"Jesus!"

Yeah, why not to make silly references anyway as he beats up the hunter's asses and saves his pack? After all everything was fucking ridiculous.

But so he'd said when his best friend had been bitten and turned into a werewolf, and it was possibly the same day his whole life changed.


	2. The previous days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry to leave you waiting. I've had some trouble with my tablet, so I'm now writing on PC.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like the chapter (please don't kill me)
> 
> PD: I LOVE little Sterek moments

**56 hours before the hunters' attack.**

It was about noon when Stiles reached Derek's place.

He'd always wondered how Derek could still live in that hardly comfortable, cold house in the very middle of a lonely forest that somebody had built up from what was left of the old Hale mansion, and had actually seriously discussed with him the possibility of remodeling and buying new furniture, so maybe he wouldn't be so grumpy and his pack could stay over sometimes. After all, Derek had inherited enough money to buy the whole city if he wanted to and still have some more to spend.

However, Derek had denied the idea. He'd accepted to prepare the once abandoned rooms of the house for his pack, but only that. Stiles figured the house was a reminder of his past, and somehow he couldn't get rid of it just yet. He urged for Derek to open up enough for him to talk about that, so maybe they could make some progress, but Stiles knew it would take time. An enormous amount of time, he guessed.

Stiles extended his hand to push the key inside the lock that he'd insisted Derek should definitely put up (already flowing with Stiles' protection spell he'd cast as soon as the alpha bought it) and opened the door. He hadn't even stepped inside when he heard a voice.

"Stiles".

He looked up. Boyd was looking at him, as calm as ever, the loyal werewolf of the pack and a heart of bravery. Stiles had always had this silent, well-earned respect for the boy, who'd dedicated almost his entire time to his alpha and his pack ever since bitten. Maybe that's why Derek had insisted (ordered) him, alongside with Erica and Isaac, to pursue their careers and study whatever they wished. Because yeah, Derek could be a good grumpy Dad sometimes.

He walked in, closing and locking the door behind him, and got close to Boyd "Hey, man" he fretted, a hand resting on the werewolf's shoulder "How're things going with the studies?".

He hadn't seen Boyd in a while. Derek always put up the excuse that they had more important things to do than to stay in and abandoned house with a not-very-trustable-looking older man, but Stiles knew he just felt alone. That's why he came over so often, even when they fought. And he was sure Boyd knew that too, so he always came back to his alpha.

"Good" The other said, nodding. He'd always been a man of actions, not words, but Stiles simply enjoyed those little moments he managed to speak to him, not only to Derek or Erica or Isaac.

"Great" Stiles said, glaring around. The house never changed much, and he always wondered why everything was always in place even when they moved around. He wondered if Derek was a fan of order "So, where's sourwolf today?"

Boyd's face twisted a little with that name. He was obviously not used to the therms he used with his alpha. Anyway, he pointed the way to the kitchen "He's at the main table, reading some letters". He shrugged as if he didn't know what they said.

"Well, I'm gonna find out what it's about" Stiles said, walking past Boyd.

The other stopped him with a soft touch in his shoulder "He said we shouldn't bother him and..."

"Boyd seriously" Stiles said, grabbing both of his shoulders and looking directly at his dark-colored eyes "When have I ever listened to what Derek says?" The boy seemed to doubt, so Stiles just sighted "Look, I'll tell him you couldn't stop my stubbornness if you want, although I'm sure he already heard me. Anyway, I'm going".

Without further talk, Stiles stepped past him and into the living room. It was empty except for the enormous, old table in the center of the room, and the recently purchased (huge) TV and couch large enough to fit the pack entirely. Stiles had convinced Derek to buy these last two things to at least have some pack moments watching movies or something.

Derek was sitting in one of the chairs in front of the table, multiple letters dancing in his fingers, the alpha glaring at them with a frown so deep Stiles actually considered it was pretty serious. There was also some kind of nostalgia and worry that Derek tried to hide but he noticed anyway for some reason. He just knew by that look on his face, but couldn't think it through.

The alpha, without looking up, talked. His voice sounded annoyed "What do you want now, Stiles?".

He walked to the table and leaned his palms against it, trying to glare at what the letters said, especially the ones that Derek was frowning at "What are those? Who died?".

Derek flipped it over the others to block his sight as he sighted frustratedly "It's none of your business".

"No, mister sourwolf" Stiles said, waving his finger at him "We already agreed that it's in fact my business if it involves the pack..."

"It doesn't involve the pack" Derek quickly interrupted.

"YOU are pack, genius" Stiles catches up, crossing his arms over his chest. After a pause, him frowning at the werewolf, he extended his hand at him, palm up "Now, let me see".

Derek handed the letter to him with a groan, massaging his temple. Stiles thought werewolves didn't have headaches until he met alpha Derek. He scanned the beautiful handwriting before understanding those were Spanish words. He recognized some of them, but was never good at that class so he had totally avoided it. Derek on the other hand, even when he'd confessed he didn't know, probably learned sometime around when they were only forming their pack.

He gave in after trying with the first words. He wished it was in Japanese or Chinese so he could rub all over Derek's face that he did know what it said. After all, Stiles may have accepted his alpha knowing Spanish as some kind of a challenge and submerged himself into other languages, falling finally for Asian culture, a hobby of his mother.

"Okay, fine. What does it say?" He asked reluctantly, tossing the letter back to his alpha and ignoring the smirk on his lips "No mocks, Derek. Between the two, I AM the only one allowed to do that".

"Right" He responded, totally rolling his eyes at his comment.

Yeah, he had noticed, he wasn't as blind as Scott to see the obvious. As they got closer to Stiles' 18th birthday, Derek was opening a bit more everyday, and even being kinder to his pack, as if he was a time bomb about to go off at that specific date. He had no idea why but enjoyed getting to know the alpha better as time passed, and was sure his pack was grateful to have a more approachable leader. Of course, he still had worse days than others, but the improvement was there nonetheless.

"Derek" Stiles insisted, locking his eyes with the alpha's, trying to pour every last bit of his character to convince him.

The werewolf looked away, and after some minutes finally understood Stiles was not going to give in, and he wasn't in the mood for long speeches and discussions it seemed. He sighted.

"I have to leave" he finally offered.

Stiles needed a pause to let the word sink in "What?" He listened Boyd leaving the room and opening the front door, surely to go for a run at the forest and shake off some stress due to the notice Derek had just given them, because he got very nervous whenever Derek said he was going somewhere. Stiles' face seemed to convey what the two were thinking for sure.

Derek just shook his head and sighted "No. Not like that. For a few days next week".

Stiles sighted, relieved. He crossed his arms again "Alright so, what for?"

Derek stared at him, his face serious. Stiles recognized that expression sometimes, since it was getting easier to read the werewolf "There's another pack that wants to make a deal with ours. It's like signing up for peace between us".

Stiles let the information be process in his head. After a moment and with Derek's silence, the question that raised in his head came out of his mouth "Fine. So, when are we leaving? No, forget it. Exams next week. Are you taking Boyd and Isaac with you? They could come handy in the-"

"I'm going alone, Stiles".

The sudden interruption of the alpha, his serious tone and the look he had, all hit Stiles like a slap in the face. A smile appeared in his face, twisted and forced, until he finally frowned at the alpha's continuous look "You can't be serious".

Derek straightened up in the chair "I am". He said shortly.

That only left Stiles even more frustrated "You can't be actually serious" He repeated, waving his hands at the air "Is this like, one of the conditions they're coming up with or this is all your 'I'm an alpha, and I can do whatever I freaking want' thing?"

Derek frowned deeper. He was getting as angry as Stiles in a very short amount of time "Stop that. They're old family friends. And it's not your problem".

"I decide what my damn problems are" Stiles answered, sharply. He didn't mean to, but Derek's attitude of always doing things alone without thinking made him furious "And if you're planning to go on this journey on your own, then I'm coming too".

"Don't be ridiculous, Stiles" Derek huffed a laugh that didn't have any hint of humor as he stood up to look down at him, his chest all pumped.

That gesture, sure, it intimidated his betas and Stiles when they met, but it didn't work on him anymore, and Derek knew it. Perhaps Stiles was an idiot, but he knew the alpha would never hurt him. He knew better than when he first saw him.

Stiles looked up, not even moved in the least "You're not going ALONE on a dangerous trip god knows where to meet with a foreign pack, Derek. I don't care if they're family friends or not, for an alpha of a pack to meet other werewolves completely alone is-"

"They ARE trustworthy, Stiles. My family knew them for a long time" Derek reassured him, his voice dangerously going up and angry.

Stiles couldn't hold back his frustration "It's still WEIRD, goddamn it!" Stiles shouted "You don't know a thing about what that place or that pack are like right now! You're BLIND in there, Derek! It's like giving you away to any hunter that could easily shoot you down with wolfsbane!"

"You don't get it!" Derek relied, his voice very close to a roar. Stiles wasn't even retreating to anything he tried "It's a wolf thing to stay together! I can't simply abandon them and following their instruction is our pride as pack".

"What I do get is that you're going to offer your fucking neck for someone to come slice it up! Do you know what will happen to the pack if you die, asshole? We're doomed!" Stiles said.

"If that was to happen, Scott could take over after me-"

"No, he couldn't. And you freaking know he's not ready to look up for the pack as alpha! If you die on your freaking trip we'll be vulnerable to ANY attack!" Stiles could fell his mood worsening as fast as Derek's, but he didn't know how to stop.

"For fuck's sake, Stiles!" Derek said, his eyes glaring red "That pack will offer their protection to us, to me. And you talk like I'm a weak...!" He left the sentence incomplete, shutting his mouth quickly, but Stiles knew the word missing was 'human'.

That only made things worse. The words he didn't want to say left him so fast he wasn't able to stop them "Well, yeah. I'm saying you're as weak as a human! And you know why? Because you fucking want to hold on to something that doesn't exist anymore!"

"Shut up..." Derek said, between clenched teeth, eyes bright red, his fangs coming out, inches away from his face.

Stiles couldn't care less "NO! Derek, it's over! They're gone! There's nothing to be done about it! Don't go freaking risking your life into something you don't really know you'll survive because it will affect us! US! WE ARE HERE! THEY ARE NOT!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" The alpha roared, the sound echoing in every corner of the house. Surely, Boyd and even his betas far away listened and were in their way to the house. The alpha attempted to grab Stiles by his neck, but stopped immediately after seeing his claws almost about to touch his skin. Instead, he made a fist with that hand and moved it away, his anger showing in his red eyes "Why do YOU care anyway?!"

Stiles grabbed the black silk of his shirt with force, their faces only an inch away from each other "BECAUSE I-!"

He suddenly stopped. Derek glared at him, his frown getting loose, his eyebrows coming up in confusion and surprise. Stiles was left speechless. What was he about to say...?

"Because I..."

Stiles looked at Derek's eyes. The pale green, deep feelings locked somewhere inside. The pain of someone who'd seen so much and that only needed more. That desired more, but that was afraid to lose it again. Derek's breath in his skin was so warm and mesmerizing that it was hard to bear with. His smell was present, and Stiles just wanted so hard to kiss him right there, to demonstrate he in fact had someone that considered him precious and indispensable.

But he didn't.

With his eyes wide opened, Stiles noticed he was actually VERY close to Derek, to the point their legs and... other stuff... were almost touching. His lips were only an inch away from Derek's, and the alpha's eyes were scanning him, nose smelling the air occasionally. He pushed away, almost harder than he'd wanted at first. His heart was beating fast, and his cheeks were surely flushing for what he'd done. He'd almost kissed the freaking alpha of the pack! And he felt almost sick, because now Derek surely knew for real his enormous crush on him, and Stiles didn't want to think nor believe he already knew from the very start but hadn't expected him to make a move.

Stiles felt himself unable to bear the embarrassment, so he just turned and shouted while running through the door "Do whatever the hell you want! I'm holding you responsible!"

After that, he was grateful Derek didn't follow him. He wouldn't know what to do anymore, so he just ran off the house, ignoring Boyd's figure running beside his Jeep until he got out of the forest, parked outside of his home and ran inside as fast as he could.

Sinking into the sheets of his bed was possibly the best thing that happened in all day.

* * *

 

**40 hours before the hunters' attack.**

When Stiles looked at the clock and saw it was 4 in the morning, he finally gave up on sleeping. Looking at the walls of his room and the ceiling soon bored him, and he had no other option but to stand up and sit over his desk, turning on his computer to play some silly games and get distracted.

Sadly, after some action and adventure games he enjoyed playing when he had some time to kill and nothing else to do, like researching the new creature that attacked Beacon Hills, or doing his homework, or studying for exams, or planning tricks to humiliate Jackson, he easily got bored again. And getting bored was exactly what he didn't wanted, because his mind would immediately go back to the scene where they'd almost kissed.

Where he almost kissed Derek actually.

Stiles remembered so well his breath caressing the skin of his face, the gorgeous features of his chest, the line of his neck and jaw. Derek's whole body was undoubtedly beautiful, his beard tickling occasionally his hands, still grabbing the neck of his black shirt, and his eyes.

He loved every bit of those eyes. Bright, firm, but at the same time hiding a scared child inside of him, the same that didn't want to lose more but that longed for some kind of anchor to keep moving forward in his life. Those were the same eyes that Stiles tried to read every time, and the ones he'd fell for alongside with all of Derek.

But he couldn't bring himself to EVER tell Derek about it. Never, not even in his wildest dreams and random imagination did he ever said it out loud. It was hard to put an accurate name on the feeling yet, maybe it was too soon, but Stiles was pretty sure of what it was.

He'd thought he'd felt something similar for Lydia ever since he first got his crush on her, but his feelings for Derek were different. Stronger, like craved into his skin as if they were meant to be there from the very beginning, like everything just fell in place only being beside him and standing right there, looking out for him and taking the good care that Derek didn't provide himself with.

Sometimes, he thought Derek could be his everything. An important piece of his world, one of the necessary part for it to keep moving around and being the place Stiles adored. Like Derek was the engine that moved Stiles' life.

Maybe that's the reason why, after hearing Derek's plans of leaving soon, he'd reacted so badly to the point of actually touching Derek's biggest pain of all his life.

Stiles got up, and jumped into his bed, sinking into his pillow and hugging it very tight. He felt like the biggest jerk alive, even Jackson would be reverencing him. Who, in all earth, would bring up the deceased and the traumas back to life when they were memories of the person one cares for? Only an idiot like Stiles with his big stupid mouth.

How could he be so stupid? He'd put his little finger and pressed into Derek's wounds, even knowing they weren't healed properly, in an attempt to make the alpha snap and see the same reality he did. But instead, all he had managed was to make those wounds deeper.

Stiles was the biggest jerk alive.

He spinned around his sheets, those wrinkling and twisting with him, until after some minutes of regret and self-induced little pinches of pain in his skin, his mind still set in Derek's face and presence, he finally came up with what he had to do.

He needed to apologize to Derek.

It didn't really matter that Sitles had not even the slightest clue on how to start talking to Derek again without blushing to death, or that he didn't know whether his alpha would reject him immediately after seeing him coming in, or that Stiles would probably urge to run away as soon as he looked directly at those pale green eyes again. No matter what, he had his resolve.

He turned around and grabbed his cellphone from the nightstand beside his bed, turning on the little lamp (matter of habit, coming from his dad's words ever since he was little "You'll end up blind if you don't, son").

Stiles glared at the message showing on the screen. He pressed the button to read it as his heart started beating faster. 'Normal' Derek had texted.

He gulped, feeling his cheeks warm. It was really embarrassing him even just seeing his alpha's routinary night texts to tell him everything was okay, that he didn't know how he would react when he saw the alpha in person. He then figured they could simply text each other to make it easier for him.

'Hey... could we talk?' Stiles texted, his finger shaking as he hit send. He breathed hardly, looking at the cellphone, then at the clock, and back at the machine. He repeated the action three or four times until he got a reply.

It was surprisingly faster than Stiles would've thought. He wondered what the alpha was doing '... You mean... right now?'

Stiles took another deep breath 'Yeah... can you?'

Three seconds later, the answer came in '... I guess...' Stiles waiten a little and got surprised by other text 'I'm near your house anyway, so I'll come over'.

Stiles needed a full minute to process that, and like ten more to control his own nervousness and breathing. His fingers shivered and clumsily got in the way of the other while trying to type a quick reply to avoid Derek's visit 'Wait!'

Of course, he didn't even manage to finish when he heard the usual "click" of his window opening and the cold airflow hitting his cheeks. He heard the window closing once again as he turned to the person standing in the middle of his room. The faint light of the lamp on his nightstand hardly covered all of Derek's figure. The black leather jacked and the dark pants with the little chain coming out of his left pocket that he enjoyed carrying around ever since Erica got it for his birthday last year. His green eyes looked even brigther than the red ones, and his face perfectly fit his whole look.

Stiles felt short of air, but quickly (or as a reflex) sit up, resisting the need to gulp of nervousness. He took a deep breath, trying to look as cassual as he could (if possible) "Heeeey Derek... What's up?"

He felt stupid. He could have asked anything else, or even start with the point at once. But no, his very clever brain had come up with the possibly worst greet of all times. Derek lifted one of his eyebrows, his hands in his jacket pockets "You said we talk so..."

Stiles shifted nervously "Right..."

And... silence. The two stared at each other, waiting for the other to talk. Even when Stiles was the one to suggest they should talk, his mind had completely stopped working as Derek came in through the window. On the other hand, Derek seemed to sense (or smell, whatever shit the werewolves did) his tension, somehow tensing up himself.

Stiles had to look around and get up, walking nervously a few steps away from his bed and from Derek. His mouth opened, but nothing came out of it. His hand started scratching the back of his head as he tried again, but failing so bad he spined around himself, covering his face with his hands. Several tried were made as minutes passed by.

When Stiles glared at the clock and realized it had been almost half an hour since Derek got there, he felt like a coward. Why was it so hard to speak to Derek in first place? Was it because of what he had said?

Derek sighted, catching Stiles off guard "Stiles-"

"Alright, Derek! Look..." He interrupted, turning around and getting a step closer to the alpha. Derek glared at him in surprise "This is even more difficult than it should for me if you just stare at me like that, okay? At least say you're mad, or that you'll tear my throat out with your teeth, or even that you'll shove me into a wall!"

Derek's eyebrow came up in confusion "Stiles, I'm not going to-"

"No, Derek! For god's sake, I can't bear it" Stiles said, walking in circles around the room. He was glad his father was in night shift, otherwise he'd be in trouble for his loud tone and nervous, hard steps "I can't bear that you're just standing there doing pretty much nothing without even frowning or glaring or looking angry at me! Because I did say something pretty stupid and I'm a jerk for it! I know, that's why YOU should be at least mad!"

Finally, a frown in Derek's face, but not as deep as Stiles had expected.

"I'm an idiot, okay? I say stuff without thinking like all the time, but this time it was too much! Even a jerk as big as Jackson wouldn't get as low as me-"

"Stiles!" Derek shouted. Stiles had thought his eyes would glow red, but they didn't. Instead, he looked pretty serious "Stop. Talking".

Stiles bit his lower lip because yeah, his mouth was as controllable as a wild animal. He didn't even know if what he was saying had any sense. He waved his hands, circling around the room until Derek finally sighted, masagging the bridge of his nose.

"Just..." He said, glaring from beneath his hand "Get to the point, could you?"

Looking at his eyes, Stiles realized that it was maybe as hard for Derek. He felt bad, that the alpha had to deal with someone as exasperating as him. But Stiles could almost say the same about Derek all the time anyway.

He tried to relax, and stood up in front of him. He tried to say something, but it came out as a babble.

Derek frowned, his arms crossing in his chest "What?"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Stiles said, his eyebrows almost about to crush his eyes in a frown and his tone a little louder than he'd want "I'm sorry that I said that nasty stuff about your family. I'm an idiot and I deserve whatever you want to do to me!"

Stiles stared at him, until Derek's eyebrows came up in a curious look. Then he realized his last words could be perfectly mistaken for something else. He gulped, trying to keep the blood rushing to his cheek in line, but Derek could probably listen his heartbeat. How unlucky he was not to know what the other was feeling too.

"Oookay, that sounded weird" Stiles had to admit, covering his face with his hand. Then he pointed at Derek with the other "But you get my point!"

"Yeah" Derek startled him "I think I do".

When Stiles turned back, he was surprised to find a different Derek. His whole face smoothed, his eyebrows no longer frowning, his lips in a straight line that didn't seem to smile but neither in rage. The green of his eyes looked ever so bright Stiles thought they could be stars.

He tried not to get lost in the look that Derek was giving him, but it was pretty dazzling. He made a huge effort just to stay right in his spot and not to get closer. He took a deep breath.

"Um... You know..." Stiles started, his face probably red "You can... go on your trip. I'll let it pass just THIS TIME" He tried to emphasize these last words. He pointed at Derek "But you'll have to at least call me every night to know you're fine, because texts are not enough for me to know whether your cellphone was taken from your dead body and some strange harpy is chatting with me. Deal?"

The surprise in Derek's face was unexpected. Stiles could almost read the hope in his eyes, the need to keep something of his past to hold into, and realized how important this whole thing could be for the werewolf.

As Derek nodded, Stiles quickly jumped in his bed and wraped in the sheets. Turning around to see the wall instead of the alpha, he said "...Be careful, okay?"

He heard a noise of the window opening again, the cold air of the morning entering his room and touching his half-covered face and moving his hair around. Right before closing the window again, he heard Derek's voice, perhaps a little closer than he was in reality.

"Thank you".

Alone again. What's the course of plans now? Controling his massive blush, that is.

* * *

 

**28 hours before the hunters' attack.**

Stiles reached the door of his home and opened it, surprised to find his father holding his phone against his ear, walking around in front of the stairs and talking about something he didn't quite get through the line.

"Yeah, I understand. But I need it covered for this week, all paperwork done and ready this Saturday at least" A pause. His father waved his hand at him as Stiles waved back "No, that case will have to be handed to Martinez. He'll investigate on my place..."

Stiles walked past his father and into the kitchen, tossing his backpack on top of the table before getting closer to the larder in order to prepare himself a peanup butter and cheese sandwich. His phone rang, and got his hand inside his pocket to take it out.

'Hey dude. I'm on my way to Derek's. Heard you didn't come over today' It was a text from Scott. The guy had spend all day with Allison doing, well, their stuff. Since Lydia and Jackson were in New York, and Isaac, Erica and Boyd in courses, Stiles would've been alone if Danny hadn't been there. Thanks to the kind fella.

Stiles put the peanup on top of the table as he typed an answer to Scott 'Yeah. Danny invited me to the movies, but I ended up leaving earlier. He started flirting with some random guy right beside us, damn".

He got the cheese out of the fridge as his phone got another text 'Jaja. You should totally flirt too, dude. Maybe getting some company'.

Stiles snorted at that 'I don't think so dude. I've seen gross make-out and stupidly cute stuff you and Allison do and no thank you, single is for best'

'You dont't know what you're missing, man' Scott finally texted, making Stiles laugh.

Yeah, he wouldn't deny. He'd tried going out with other people when he had the crush on Lydia, and had to admit his virginity had gone "bon voyage" at some point. But since coming out of the closet, after trying to flirt with some guys in a gay bar, nothing else was done. He could probably be considered a "Gay virgin". Particularly, when he tried to look at other guys romantically, he couldn't, and the image of this big, serious alpha came to his mind.

'I'm bringing SAW 7 to Derek's. Boyd, Isaac and Allison are here to see it since Derek said we could. Although Boyd and Isaac are gonna leave earlier. Wanna come?' Scott's enthusiasm was bright and clear enough, even in his texts.

Stiles had to think it through before answering 'Nah, dude. I'll be a third if Isaac and Boyd leave, and Derek doesn't like horror movies so much'. He was just realizing how ironic it was that Derek hated those movies even with the way he looked, like some crazy heavy-metal musician or a dark member of a secret society.

'C'mon, dude. If you're here, he might watch it too' Scott pleaded.

Stiles felt uncomfortable. His best friends saying stuff like that was like admitting they had some kind of "connection", which they didn't. And it made Stiles feel sad, because he wished they had. On the other hand, he was totally not avoiding Derek for what happened the day before. No, he wouldn't.

Or at least, that's what he wanted to believe.

He finally came up with the perfect excuse 'I think I'll spend the night here. Dad leaves in a while, and I'm a little sleepy'.

Scott's reply took a little more than five minutes, giving Stiles enough time to finish his sandwich and taking the first bite 'Okay, man. Whatever. You own us one!'.

'Sure Scott' Stiles responded 'I'll make sure not to get in the middle when you and your girlfriend are about to have sex so I can pay you back'.

'Sounds like a plan' Scott answered 'By the way, heard you fought with Derek. Wanna talk about it?'

Stiles straighted in his chair, and sighted. Scott had actually managed to realize something after only one day 'Impressive, McCall. I thought you'll never know' he typed.

'Right, I'm supposed to be supportive friend and give advice so you two stop avoiding the other, but I need to know. So talk'

A little, or perhaps too embarrassed, smile apperead in Stiles' face. It was normal for both of them to listen about the other's dates and stuff, but he'd never talked about his crush on Derek to his best friend. Maybe with Lydia, yes, because she saw through people as if they were made of glass, but not with Scott. That only meant that his crush was obvious enough for him to notice. Funny thing for a werewolf to be so oblivious.

'Scott, I really don't want to think about it. Let's leave it on Derek's sudden trip pissing me off' Stiles texted and tossed his cellphone on top of the table and far away from him to finally finish eating.

Scott's reply came a minute after. Stiles reached there and grabbed the machine once the dishes were done 'You'll have to tell me anyways, man. Nothing escapes my eyes'.

'We both know you use your dick more often than your eyes, Scott' Stiles typed, as he glared as his father entering the kitchen 'Dad's here. Talk to you later'.

'See ya, man. Rest for the game tomorrow!'

Stiles put down his phone as his dad sit down at the table, passing a hand over his face and then over his hair. He moved to serve him a glass of water, and handed it to him "Hard night at the station, huh?" He said, leaning into the table.

"You could say so" His father said, taking several sips of the water, looking a little more refreshed "There was a serious robbery the other night we have to investigate, and I put another officer to the case. However, the supervisor is pushing us to deliver all the paperwork of this month cases next week..."

"Sandwich?" Stiles asked, as his father nodded. He walked towards the fridge and got the cheese and some more vegetables. His dad frowned at the items as he set them down in the table. Stiles smiled "Gotta look out for your health, old man".

"Can there be at least butter on it?" His dad begged, his voice perhaps way too amusing for Stiles.

His son smiled, an eyebrow coming up "Do you still want to eat cake on my birthday?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Then no butter".

The Sheriff groaned at him, his hands touching his temples. Someday, Stiles thought, as soon as he sees his grandchildren going to college, he would be grateful to his son for teaching him how to stay healthy. But yeah, Stiles was a little of a bad boy eating junk food in front of his father.

Stiles left the plate with the sandwich in front of his father, the man frowning at the thing before taking the first bite. Maybe his dad was hungrier than he thought. Stiles sat down in front of him "Dad... You shouldn't press yourself too much".

His dad stopped eating, fingers dropping the food down to the plate as he finished chewing. He stared at his son, the worry in Stiles' eyes seemly confusing him a little at first, but then the sight that left his lips and the way he leaned back to his chair pointed out that he understood.

"I'm not leaving you alone again, Stiles" The sheriff said, his hand tapping the table as his head shook "And I'm not pressing myself too much. I'm just... speeding things up".

Stiles smiled. He was as good as his son to make up excuses "Dad, it doesn't matter if I'm alone on mom's day. I have the pack, you can go work or rest home if you want to".

His mother died on that date. They didn't do anything together that day except eating out or something else, since it was his father's usual busy week of all year. Stiles always felt particularly down in that specific date, but never told his father about until the previous year Derek had recieved a call from his worried father wondering where he was, when in reality he'd fallen asleep watching some silly movies and playing some games with Scott at the alpha's place. It was just that he needed company that day, that's all.

He remembered that the first years after the loss, Stiles and his father used to go visit the mountains, her favorite place of all. They were clearly inspired by his mother's love for high places. She always said one could imagine flying with only the wind touching one's skin, and his father was happy enough to remind him of that memory all the time.

Stiles on the other hand, knew exactly the real reason why she loved those places, but couldn't bring himself to tell his father about it just yet. Because mainly it was the craziest thing Stiles' imagination could make up after his mother passed away.

Secretly, he was afraid his father would believe he had the same disease his mother had.

"Stiles" his father called, making him snap out of his own thoughts "I already said I wanted to spend those days together. We could maybe go to the mountain again as we did before".

He sighted "Alright. If that's what you want, it's okay by me" Stiles stood up as his father did. It was about time to get ready to go to the station "But I don't want to find you passed out in the couch again because you overworked".

His father was about to reply to that, but decided to shut up and nod. Stiles wondered if that was a habit he'd picked up with his mom. His father turned and made his way to the stairs.

Stiles saw him going up when his mouth moved "Dad, wait-". He interrupted himself.

The sheriff stopped and got down a few ladders to look at his son "Yeah?" he asked, his eyebrow coming up.

Stiles looked at his father's eyes and actually wondered, as everytime they had talked about mother. And he came to the same conclusion "No. It's nothing".

After all, who in earth would believe such a crazy story like that? Maybe Stiles when he was a kid, nodding at every other word his mother said to him.

The world was big enough for magic and werewolfs and gross Kanimas to exist, but not for freaking angels to go around flying and saving souls.

Or so would he believe until the hunters' attack.


	3. Remember

_"My boy, come here. Sit with mommy"._

_H_ _e did as he was told. He moved the sheet his mother was using to wrap herself up while sitting in the rocking chair-for-two they had outside of the house. He was still small, so he hopped on and settled himself beside his mom, feeling comfortable and wrapping that side of the sheet in him too._

_His mom moved one arm to fit him in an embrace, looking at the night sky. The stars were shining more than usual, Stiles thought, but then focused on the beauty of them instead of the reason. "Daddy will be here around an hour from now. Then we'll all have dinner together" The woman said, her hair dancing in the air._

_"Okay" He answered, leaning into the warmth her mother’s body provided "But mommy" He said, looking at his hands and little fingers. There were the cuts, all bandaged. His hands looked like bandages mommies "Why are we hiding this from Daddy?"_

_Her mother sighted, and even thought her smile was still on her face as she stroked his hair softly, Stiles knew she was feeling sad. But he really didn't understand why right at that moment, and in reality, it would last more than ten years for him to begin understanding his mother’s feelings._

_"You’re still very little” She said, touching his chin softly “I can't tell you the details just yet, but I hope you understand this is a very important thing about you and I that nobody else has. And you shouldn't say this to anyone, even your dad, okay?" Her eyes glowed at the night sky as if something she had lost was there. Longing, the nostalgia she felt coming through her movements. "It's very important to keep this a secret of both of us"._

_Stiles felt sad, unable to comprehend his mom. He didn’t know what she was hiding, but he felt the need to indulge her request "Yes, mommy. I won't say anything" he said, nodding._

_"That's my boy" She said, embracing him tighter._

_She glared at the sky again as her eyes saddened. Stiles looked in confusion at her face as she turned to him again, smiling._

_"Someday, my dear boy" she said "Someday I'll tell you why"._

_She never did._

* * *

 

The first thing he possibly felt was the warmth. It started from his fingers, where the intensity was higher, and continued all the way down his arm and through his chest. It was different from any kind of heat that sheets could offer.

Opening his eyes was a lot harder than he’d thought. His eyelids felt tired, and surprisingly heavy enough to close again multiple times even against his will. His sense of time seemed to be damage too, as in one second it was bright and the next pretty dark.

However, between his constant attempts and failures to stay awake, he started recognizing something else beside him. Everything was blurry enough to make him doubt about his location (once he even believed he was in Jackson’s house. Ugh!), but he could perfectly feel that he wasn’t alone most of the times he woke up. There was this shadow accompanying him, making sure he was never cold at any moment.

It took some time, but Stiles finally recognized it. He knew that presence, that very silent but heavy existence, Stiles’ heart skipping every second he spend there, his hand held very tight, like there was fear he could suddenly go away.

However, abruptly it was slipping, disappearing in the cold air of the night. Stiles found himself tracking the heat and the comfortableness that once grabbed him.

"De... rek..."

But instead, what he found was light. A blinding, strong sunny entering through the window of the room. That’s pretty much the moment he understood that the usual antiseptic smell of hospitals and the feeling of rigid blankets was never a creation in his delirious imagination.

The figure of a man in front of him was hardly recognizable. Stiles didn’t know who it was just the first moment he glared; hands serving coffee at one little table some far away of his. The exact second he shifted in the stiff bed, the figure turned.

“Holy shit, Stiles! You’re awake!”

He was greeted by Scott’s bright puppy eyes. The guy literally jumped from his place, and in less than a second turned back to catch the falling cup of coffee (perhaps chocolate? Scott was never a fan of caffeine). Yeah, good werewolf reflexes, Stiles guessed. Then immediately moved towards him, falling down on top of him.

Stiles gulped. The pang of pain in his torso was perhaps a little too much to tolerate. Scott sensed in less than a second his reaction and the little groan that disappeared in his throat, and stood up again on his feet, holding his hands up and looking afraid he might have broken his best friend.

The sting disappeared as soon as it came up, and Stiles relaxed to look at Scott’s eyes “I’m not that weak, Scott. Stop looking at me like I was about to have a contusion or bruise”.

Scott passed a hand on his hair and huffed “No, dude! It’s just…! Well, you… Umm…” he circled around his bed babbling about something being bad or vulnerable, exasperating Stiles very quickly.

“Scott, stop hiding whatever there’s you hide and talk. NOW” He crossed his hands over his chest, his body feeling numb, as if he was sleeping for days. He hadn’t noticed but his voice was sore, like he hadn’t used it in a long time, and felt suddenly thirsty.

Scott seemed to sense it. He ran to that little table and grabbed a bottle of water, only to appear beside the bed a second after, handing it to him “Here, let me”.

Stiles lifted an eyebrow at him. After doubting, he extended his hand and took it. He looked directly at Scott, the werewolf following every movement, his body about to jump in case anything went wrong, although Stiles didn’t really get what could happen drinking water. He finished up the water, and extended his hand to put the empty bottle in one of the tables beside his bed “Okay, I’d like to assume that your weird behavior is nothing more than sex deprivation if you weren’t looking at me as if I’m Humpty Dumpty about to fall off the wall”.

Scott looked at him. The confusion and fear was very clear on his face. His eyes were almost expulsing the urge to protect and watch over him “Stiles… you don’t remember… anything?”

“Well” Stiles responded, glaring around the room, detailing the place. It was probably a room in the hospital Mrs. McCall worked at. Then he turned back to Scott, and then to the open window beside his bed “I remember some hunter bitch and her muscled black-dressed clones walking around and paralyzing the pack” He looked at his best friends’ eyes “Oh, and Chewminator Jr trying to rip my head off”.

His brief smiled appeared and faded instantly. Scott’s eye twisted as he scratched the back of his neck. Stiles recognized his best friend’s nervousness, debating between telling him the truth and leaving him to relax in his lies. Of course, the second option would never work, because Stiles knew Scott as good as the palm of his own hand.

Stiles glared at him. Luckily his frown as much as his tone saying his best friend’s name would be enough to make him talk. And it worked.

“Stiles, you…” Scott said, doubting a little before lifting his shirt. Stiles saw a scar in his best friend’s torso, the faint shadow of a bullet that was slowly fading, and glared at it in confusion. Was it a mark of a bullet charged with wolfsbane? “You saved us. All of the pack when you…”

Stiles looked at him, tilting his head, totally lost in what he was saying. When the pause he made extended and his erratic movement around the room tired him, he asked “When I what?”

“Stiles” Scott said, his face getting serious in less than a second. That expression, Stiles only saw that the day he told his best friend his mother had died “You transformed”.

“I did what again?” Stiles asked, feeling even more confused. But suddenly, come pieces started falling into place, clicking into Stiles’ head pointing something that he didn’t know exactly.

“HEY guys!” They both turned. Isaac made his way with a bunch of stuff in his hands. Stiles could see come chocolate and flowers, but had no idea what the rest of it was. He left the package on top of the table with the coffee or chocolate thermo and turned to them, smile in face “So, Scott send us a signal to tell us you woke up. How’s the angel doing?”

Sometimes, Stiles would forget Isaac’s constant sarcasm usually drowned him to the point he could be as oblivious as Scott. Funny though, because other times he could make some very intelligent notes on things and situations. That time of course, was of the first kinds.

Isaac seemed to realize something was wrong as soon as he smelled the air. He looked at Scott, the werewolf was shaking his head at him, and understood he needed to leave “You know, guys. I’ll be… umm… I’ll be outside if you need me, fine? Great” he gave them a thumbs-up and left, closing the door behind him.

About time for Stiles to be hit by a strong wave of memories that left him feeling dizzy. It all came  back at once, not only the hunters’ voice ringing on his ears, the image of his pack being shoot with arrows and bullets, his father and the people dragged there being threatened to be shot by that woman hunter, and Derek…

There, his mind focused in his pack. Shot down, hurt, suffering. Erica, Isaac, Boyd, Jackson; all of them unable to move and probably dying. Scott in Allison’s hands, blood staining her clothes. And Derek, oh my god, Derek bleeding out to death, rejecting the spell to be healed as he closed his eyes. Accepting his death, the alpha looking at him, his bloodshot eyes glaring and trying to say something he didn’t quite get.

He leaned forward. The pain in his head was worsening his mood as he remembered again. The agony when he saw Derek’s eyes, and then the image of his death so fresh in his head, the stiff body of the alpha still looking at him as his holed head bleed.

“Are you okay?” Scott asked, desperate. He held his Stiles’ arms as he fought with himself and his thoughts.

Stiles thought for a moment he was about to break. His whole body weakened, his throat got dry, and his eyes watered up. He didn’t know how his brain managed to even consider Scott’s actions when he woke up even right at the edge of tears. He didn’t look sad, nor had dark circles around his eyes, nor stumbled towards his bed in a slow motion.

Derek wasn’t dead. He was sure.

“Fuck” Stiles mentioned, resting into his best friend’s arms as he covered his mouth, unable to believe what his eyes were seeing.

Wings. Dark colored, sparkly feathers danced in the wind. They had little drops of blood that he didn’t know whose it was that skated down to fall off them. Shaking, and hurting a lot. His back had ached as Stiles thought it never would, and there was this excruciating pain massacring his sides and chest. Of course, at that time he couldn’t care less.

What happened after that was a mixture of different images, sometimes going blank and then red in his eyes. Then Scott getting up and running towards Chris Argent. Then Erica being lifted half-dead. Then Derek looking down at Stiles, his face worried and twisted like he was seeing him dying, his hand touching Stiles’ as his eyes glared red.

“Scott” Stiles said. He could ask anything, like how they had survived, what he had done, or if anybody of the pack had died (although it didn’t seem like it from Scott and Isaac’s faces). Instead, his lips asked “Did I… kill anybody?”

It wasn’t the most important thing he needed to know, but he felt unable to ask about the others’ wellbeing. What if somebody else had died in the process? He wouldn’t be able to hold himself from crying out. So he asked about the lives he cared the less. However, no matter if they were the most wanted criminals of the whole earth, Stiles hated killing people. Yes, he would do it if that was absolutely necessary to protect his loved people, but he would feel the heavy weight on his shoulders for the rest of his life.

Scott sighted, looking at him like he was expecting him to ask something like that “Can you move a little?” Stiles did what he asked, moving to one edge of the bed so Scott could lean beside him on the other. He made a pause “You didn’t Stiles” He finally said, taking a deep breath “Derek stopped you just in time to do it himself”.

“Oh”.

One thing Stiles hated more than killing people was watching Derek killing. The alpha hated staining his hands with blood probably even more than Stiles, but had done it some many times for the sake of his pack that he’d lost count. Sometimes, Stiles saw Derek wandering around his own house, or going for a sudden run at three in the morning, haunted by his own actions for sure.

Stiles took a deep breath “How’s the pack…? And my dad, did he go crazy when he saw me? I mean, he totally could, finding out something like this…”.

Scott turned a little, but then turned back to the ceiling “The pack is fine thanks to you. Deaton appeared afterwards to help us and Allison took the bullet out of me. Your dad is… well, he was mad at first, but then he only cared about your state. He’s coming this way it seems, he’s trying to find some clue with Allison’s dad that leads us to what the hunters said about the ‘Hale hunt’”.

Stiles let the information sink in. Then he asked the main question going around his head “What about… Derek…?”

“Umm… look” Scott said, looking sideways at him, worried “He’s been going berserk ever since you were brought to the hospital”

“What?” Stiles asked, leaning into his elbow to look at Scott “I mean, I understand him freaking out seeing wings coming out of my back and then me beating the hunters somehow but, well, I’m here and nobody died”.

Scott sit up to look at him, eyes opened and puzzled “Dude” he said, his forehead wrinkling in worry “Those wings of yours broke your ribs and your bones almost pierced your lungs”.

Stiles felt about to faint. All the information felt like too much for him to handle at once. Even the fading pain he’d felt before was not enough to point any broken ribs, but he knew Scott wouldn’t lie to him with something so serious. No wonder he’d acted that weird when he woke up, Stiles could broke any second there, and it was terrifying only imagining it.

He swung his legs out of the bed and stepped in the cold floor. The tubes connected to his arms shivered as he tried to stand up, his world spinning around him.

“Stiles, what the hell are you doing?” Scott was just right in front of him, stopping and pushing him back as softly as he could with his werewolf strength.

Stiles felt himself laughing. Scott looked at him like he was going crazy. Stiles shook his head “This is fucking ridiculous” He said, laughing loudly. Scott looked around, trying to understand. Stiles felt his eyes watering “I just… never thought this would happen to me. One day, I was convinced of something and the next is totally the opposite. This is so freaking twisted”

“Stiles…” Scott started, but he didn’t interrupted him further.

“My mother never lied to me, Scott” He said, confusing his friend even more “I lied to myself”.

Yes, all those stories he’d told Scott about when they were little. Stories about adventures of angels and holy creatures fighting in the sky, his best friend was aware of them by the expression of realization on his face. But Stiles would’ve NEVER believed in them as much as he did then.

But, he decided, he wouldn’t freak out. Just as when his friend first got bitten, or when he first joined the pack, or when he casted a spell for the first time. He would NOT freak out AT ALL.

Instead, he had to do a lot of research. His mother’s objects, long stored in the attic, Deaton’s knowledge, other packs and other databases over the net. He would do whatever he could to get to the bottom of that as soon as possible.

He passed a hand over his face, his smile disappearing as he glared at Scott “Okay, Scott, it’s time to research this thing. I feel good now so I hope they’ll let me go soon, if not you’re breaking me out”.

Scott sighted as a small smiled appeared on his face “You change your emotions faster than when Mrs. Smith first got her menopausal attack” Stiles snorted at the memory of their primary school “And no way dude. Derek would kill me if I break you out of here”.

“C’mon Scott. He’ll never know” Stiles said.

“Of course he will. He’s coming to take your pain again tonight after all” Scott smirked, walking pass to get more chocolate as Stiles sat down at the bet.

“Wait, what?”

Scott stopped and turned like a very rusty machine.

“Scott…” Stiles glared at him, frowning and narrowing his eyes “Tell me, NOW”.

His eye twisted again as he scratched the back of his neck, but at Stiles glare he finally gave up “Derek’s gonna kill me for this…” He muttered to himself “He’s been coming every night to take your pain away since most of the bones of your chest were broken, even when we don’t see him much at days. He’s worrying himself sick for you”.

Stiles couldn’t help blushing at that. Derek? Worried at him that much? Yes, maybe it was only because he was a part of the pack, but the way Scott said it pointed another possibility he’d never really considered seriously. He shifted in the bed as his heart started beating faster.

Then, he remembered something important “Wait” he said, frowning, his blush fading quickly “Shouldn’t you guys be like, around him all the time?”

Scott shrugged “We try, but he doesn’t want it and order us to go away. He’s rater irritable this days-“.

“Oh my god, Scott” Stiles said, waving his hand in the air “The whole community of hunters are behind his back and about to bite his ass! You can NOT leave him ALONE, fuck!”

“Don’t blame it on me, dude!” Scott responded in the same tone, trying not to step back at Stiles’ angry voice “We can hardly say no, you know. Even Boyd is frustrated at this”.

“Stupid werewolf thing” Stiles declared, standing up. His legs felt okay all of the sudden, but it didn’t cross his mind to even consider it “I’ll do it myself”.

“STILES!!”

He turned to see a bunch of people fighting with each other to fit through the door of his room. They moved and pushed the others in a strong fight of werewolves until Erica’s hand managed to fit in, letting her inside even faster than the others.

A second later, Stiles was fighting with the warm bodies around him for an opportunity to breathe properly. It was like one of those huge puppy piles they made on Derek’s couch, but all above of him instead of splattered across Derek’s living room.

“Guys, stop it this second!”

They all let him go as fast as they had gotten onto him. Stiles saw Erica dragging Boyd’s arms as he tried to look away in embarrassment, Isaac’s face saying ‘shit, I did something stupid. Are you okay?’, and even Jackson trying to pretend that he didn’t care and faking he wasn’t in the pile that had almost chocked him.

The demanding voice had come from Lydia, which was very normal for her actually. She came in beside Allison, every one with a bucket of roses in their hands. Lydia frowned at every one of them as she gave the ‘I could crush you guys with my little finger’ look “He just woke up after a week of sleeping and you plan to break more bones of his body? I swear if you do any more I’ll fill your sorry asses with wolfsbane to my heart content”.

She didn’t look very happy at them, the guys nodding with their faces very serious at the obviously serious threat just received. On the other hand, Lydia looked slightly relieved at his recovery. Allison’s smile was bright enough though.

“We’re all glad you’re okay, Stiles” Allison made her way to the vase in one of the tables beside his bead and joined the buckets of flowers, hers and Lydia’s, in one same arrangement. Stiles wondered why she didn’t touch the other vase at the other side, and probably considered whose flowers were on that vase “Everybody were very worried at your wellbeing and-“

“Wait” Stiles said, his brain suddenly working again “Did you say one week?”

Lydia looked at Scott in disbelief “Didn’t he tell you?” She frowned at him, the poor guy shaking at her gaze, until she glared at Stiles again “You had some miraculous recovery, the doctors say. Even Deaton was impressed. He says the magic flow of your body is getting bigger after you showed up with those wings in your back”.

Everybody shuddered at the reminder of the battle they almost died at, but Lydia didn’t even move. Just like her, Stiles thought. Allison even looked uncomfortable, glaring at Scott’s torso briefly when she thought nobody would notice.

“No, that’s not what I mean” Stiles said, his frown turning to his best friend “Scott, what day is it?”

Scott tried to consider the meaning of his words for a few seconds until his whole confusion disappeared, being replaced by worry and pity “It’s… Sunday, Stiles”.

Stiles felt himself being pressed down with a heavy amount of disappointment. He leaned forward, resting his elbows in his thighs “Shit…” he said, his hands pressing against his face “Shit!”

His pack moved around him immediately. They all knew what the missed day meant for Stiles, and how he cared that much to at least spend that time with someone he loved, to remember her properly and not break in the process. But he hadn’t that year, he had missed his mother’s day.

“It’s okay Stiles” Lydia said in his ear, Allison was massaging his back slowly.

“Yeah” Isaac interrupted, holding his left shoulder “We could go anywhere. Derek surely will let us skip classes next week for at least a few days”.

“Isaac is right. And Scott said you wanted to go to the mountains” Allison said, trying to lift his chin.

“Besides, I’m sure your dad’s not mad” Scott mentioned, waving his hand at him “He said he was glad you were okay”.

“And I still am”.

They all turned in a very coordinated motion, even Allison and Lydia, being human. He on the other hand, needed some more time to understand his father voice had come from the hall of the hospital. He turned to see him in his Sheriff uniform, hands in pocket, a mix of worry, relief, and a little of confusion in his smile.

“My boy” His father said, extending his arm as he got closer. The pack opened a path for him to reach his son and embrace him tight between his arms, moving aside as they looked at the whole scene. His father then pulled away a little, doubting as he looked at his face “How are you feeling? Are they treating you well? Those doctors have some nerve to talk back to a sheriff I must say. Are you dizzy?” He extended a hand in front of him “How many fingers do you see here?”

Stiles laughed, moving his father’s hand away “Dad, I’m feeling okay. Just home sick perhaps”. He felt just glad to see his father in front of him, all right and working again, but couldn’t help the fast memory of him being pointed with a gun.

“Well, that’s good to hear” The man said, fixing his belt “Because the food here is a mess. I’m surprised you’re not deadly skinny already with this. Luckily, I’m gonna convince them of letting you out of here soon”.

“Thanks but…” Stiles said, looking down and then back at his father. He considered again what he was about to do, and realized it was about time “There’s something I need to talk to you about and…” he glared around, then down, and said softly “Guys, could you leave us alone? And please, no werewolf ears on the door”.

His pack didn’t even fight back that order. They all started going out of the room faster than Stiles would’ve thought, Lydia and Allison dragged by Jackson and Scott respectively. Stiles figured werewolves understood his need of a serious talk with his father as if that was a discussion with the alpha, and respected it the same way.

His father looked at him in confusion, but then glaring at the sadness and the twist of Stiles’ teary eyes, he sat down beside his son, looking sideways at him “What’s the matter son?” He said softly.

Stiles told himself not to look at his father and regret his decision. But he needed to take it out of his chest, finally, after years and years of holding back the truth.

A pause. His father turned “Stiles, whatever you want to tell me I’ll liste-“

“Mom didn’t die”

His father’s reactions looked even slower in his eyes. First, processing. Second, misbelief. Third, confusion. Fourth, sadness. Fifth, all of the above. He looked unable to decide what to do, how to act. His eyes showed a mix of emotions Stiles had wished not to see in his father, but it was too late to turn back in that moment.

“Mom never died” Stiles continued, breathing very deep “Because she was never ‘alive’ to start with”.

Stiles would have loved not to tell his father about that. He would have loved to keep the secret out from anybody as his mother had begged. But it couldn’t be maintained anymore. And it was all his fault, because he’d sacrificed his secret to protect his family. To protect Derek.

_‘I’m sorry, mom’_ Stiles thought, noticing the door opening, a nurse appearing in the room.

She was a very small, young woman, probably around their same age. Her hair was dyed red in the ends, black naturally. Her eyes were pale brown, very bright. She smiled at both of them, then looked at the older man.

“Excuse me, sir. Is something wrong?” She asked. He voice was a little stronger, maybe similar to Erika’s in some sort of strange way.

If there hadn’t been something bugging Stiles about her, he would’ve been the one to answer the woman’s question. Instead, his father waved a hand at her “No… don’t worry. You… you can go. Please”.

That was the moment he realized his mistake letting her close to his father. The woman expulsed magic energy all over her body, the presence making Stiles’ crimp in anticipation. In a battle anticipation. Sadly it was pretty late when the woman pulled out a gun out of her uniform.

“I’m pretty sorry, sir” she said, her face becoming serious as she pointed it at them “But you two, mister and bird boy, better stay quiet for a while”.

* * *

 

_Stiles was right outside of the room when a lot of doctors went in. His father hadn’t come out of it yet, his face darkening as time passed in the clock, his eyes all red after crying a lot when he thought Stiles wasn’t looking, his body barely dressed with anything but his pijamas._

_He embraced his teddy bear, the one his mother has given him his fourth birthday_ ‘Stiles’  _she had said_ ‘I read a book once with a boy named like that, but never found it again. Since you like it, this Teddy Bear will be named Stiles’.  _Her mother’s eyes that time were happy enough to make Stiles love that name and started calling himself like that too. He’d had the Teddy since._

_But right then, looking at the room her mother was hospitalized in, full with doctors and nurses, door closed for him not to see what was happening inside, Stiles felt like his world was suddenly being broken pretty slowly, part crumbling and falling at his side._

‘Don’t worry, my boy’ _His mother had said that morning, as she shifted and made herself comfortable in the hospital bed. She looked pale, and dad wasn’t there to help her_ ‘Whatever you see or feel, remember our most important rule…’

‘There’s a secret we must keep’ _Stiles had recited as if it was a song grabbed in his memory_ ‘Until…’

_Stiles stopped._

_Everything around him lost motion._

_Right in front of him, his mother was smiling. Looking down at him as if nothing was happening around, as if peace was right behind her and she wanted to share it with his child for at least a second. Her eyes, the same color as Stiles’, were glowing so bright it was dazzling._

_Her skin was shining as the stars they had seen the other day outside of the house, lighting the whole room as the sun itself. Her hair looked like an ocean of dark brown trees, falling and dancing in her back as Stiles never saw them do before._

_Then, flutters. Feathers, as transparent as glass or water, waving in the cold air the surrounded them. Big, brighter than the sun itself, and sparkling around them. Wings, batting and moving, born from his mother’s back as if they were meant to be there in first place._

_As the woman smiled one more time and set a kiss down in his forehead, the touch warm and calming, she turned around, her wings moving until they were completely lost in his sight. And that exact moment, he understood what it all meant._

_Stiles understood it was goodbye._


	4. The warrior

“Scott” Stiles mentioned as dissimulated as he could “Come. Back”.

He put everything he had to cast a spell on his father as he said those words, the magic of the enchantment covering the movement of his mouth. Deaton had assured him not everybody had the ‘spark’ himself and Stiles had to see magic energy around people, and as Stiles conjured up his power on the Sheriff he’d confirmed that theory.

That, of course, wouldn’t save him if bullet was to go through his body, probably striking some important organ. Stiles could only hope for something he could in fact survive as he glared at the woman holding the gun tightly in her hands, eyes so focused on them it would be practically impossible to escape. He figured he could transform again, but he wasn’t so sure he would be lucky enough once again not to die trying, that leaving aside the fact that he had no idea how to trigger it without being deeply desperate, broken, and/or furious.

On the back of his mind, he wasn’t that worried about the whole situation. The spell would protect his father, and although he wasn’t so sure the bullet wouldn’t break in, he knew the damage would be reduced to less than 20% percent if he poured every little drop of energy he had. Luckily, it would only leave a scratch. That would leave Stiles extremely frail though, but he couldn’t care less.

Another good thing was, she hadn’t killed them yet. If she was one of the hunters behind the Hales, he’d have probably sliced their heads already or tortured them to find out Derek and the pack’s whereabouts. So yeah, she didn’t want them dead, but it didn’t help either.

He gulped. Stiles was perfectly sure if any of them moved she would shoot, so he’d been careful enough to hold back his father’s sleeve and prevent him from doing anything irreversible. The problem was her magic tricks. She had some energy that moved his own, like an existence trying to crunch him to devour and gain power. If she, instead of shooting, hit them with a spell, even Stiles’ magic in his current state wouldn’t completely defend them, and he would probably die that time if his wings came out of his body.

“Hey” He said, after approximately five minutes of staring at the girl’s eyes and the point of her gun. He realized he was sweating “Are you gonna stay silent or tell us why we’re being held captive?”

So, he decided. He would buy time, as much as he could, until any of his pack or even the doctors of the hospitals, or even some random spectator would notice something was wrong in that room- He’d no idea how he would, but if there was one thing Stiles was good at, it was coming up with ideas in the very last minute.

“Shut up” She said, surprising Stiles suddenly “It’s not any of your business”.

Stiles frowned as a smiled curved his lips “I’m told that a lot lately, but almost all of the time I don’t care shit about it”.

His father looked at him, an eyebrow wrinkling his forehead. Worry, confusion, all Stiles didn’t want to see in him. He sighted, and used the spell connection _‘Trust me this time. We’ll get through this, dad’._ The Sheriff looked unable to believe his son’s voice was echoing in his head, but nodded nonetheless. His dad, even though he got the thing about the pack, was still a little skeptical about that magic thing, or used to be only a week ago. He bit his lower lip as he decided to rely on him.

“I see” She said, moving one step closer to them. Stiles stepped forward and stood in front of his father, ignoring his sudden groan “Shouldn’t you be more worried considering I could kill you at any second?”

That’s the moment he noticed. Stiles wouldn’t look like it, but when the adrenaline rushed through his body, his attention to details increased more than he would ever believe himself. Like it did then, in the middle of his anxious heart beats and slight panting, he focused on the woman’s gun pointed at them He recognized the marks on it, the look, and the real use.

His smile grew bigger. The sweat falling from his face becoming worse “I would if that was a real gun with real bullets inside”.

The surprise in the woman’s face would be obvious, but the jump from his father totally startled him. The man reached his belt looking for his gun so quickly Stiles had little time to react _‘Stop!’_ his movements slowed down, but his fingers were touching the weapon _‘Don’t move just yet! This is even worse!’_ If the magic of his spell hadn’t warned Stiles of his father’s thoughts, he would probably be dead already.

His attention turned back to the woman when she moved her hand. She looked closely at the gun with a curious yet serious look “Interesting, indeed” she pointed it at them “There’s no really noticeable difference from this toy and any other gun”.

“I guess that’s a point for me then” Stiles said, gulping again as he looked at her directly “We’re even”.

“No, I’m still way ahead of you”.

Stiles knew that. Since the very moment he realized that was in reality a toy he knew it would be worse than dying. He’d read it before, humans with very rare abilities, capable of focusing their energy into one object at a time. Those were rumors and old Arthurian tales, but entirely possible if angels and werewolves also existed. If the magician was skilled and powerful enough, instead of killing, he or she would be able to change the victims’ memories and make them become traitors. In the best of the cases, one shot could mean instant paralysis that would not be lifted from any other than the hand who casted it.

He needed a deep breath, his eyes feeling dry and his nervousness almost shaking his voice “… You’d be surprised of the aces I’ve got up my sleeve”. He said, hoping to gain enough time. He looked sideways at his father as he used the magic bounding them to cover his lips and voice calling his pack again.

“Ah, the angel thing” she said. Stiles turned back, eyes wide “I’m pretty much aware of that” she declared, indifferent.

Everything Stiles had thought or planed seemed to disintegrate very quickly. The woman there, that nurse knew about something he barely remembered. The nickname wasn’t some random game of words. That made him believe she was more prepared than he’d ever thought. Maybe she’d researched every one, his father, the pack, the hospital, the people he knew. Perhaps she knew everything there was to know about them.

Then, he understood. He glared at the still opened door of the room, and saw people passing by, some of them briefly seeing in that direction before continuing their path It was like nothing was happening, as if some random nurse wasn’t pointing a very look-alike gun at them and threatening to shoot at any second.

His mind also registered another fact. Why hadn’t his pack come to rescue them? They couldn’t have gone that far away from the room as he was sure some of them would indeed peek into their conversation, and the werewolf running speed would have brought them here as soon as Stiles and his father’s heartbeat got faster and nervous at the sight of danger.

Yes, he got it. His pack would never come because they didn’t sense anything wrong in first.

“… Damn magic tricks” Stiles muttered to himself, almost loud enough for the other two in there to listen “I didn’t even noticed when you put up the barrier, sneaky bitch”.

“I’ve got my secrets, bird boy” She said, tilting her head a little, like stretching her neck “Nothing escapes my eyes here. So you should stop your pathetic attempts of calling your pack and protecting your progenitor. It’s useless”.

She was completely right, but it didn’t stop Stiles from trying. He constantly poured drop after drop of his life force into the spell protecting his father, as it was the only hope the old man had to at least survive. However, he knew the odds, since he was pitifully weak at the very moment. That’s when the idea of contacting one of his pack by a spell Deaton had taught him (“It’ll work as long as the bond keeps being renewed and your magic is strong enough to hold the distance”).

“You’re doing it again. I don’t get your stupidity” She declared, pressing the trigger slightly. Stiles gulped again, his heart skipping “Killing you two would be almost too easy right now”.

Stiles thought quickly, his mind poking and inspecting the strength of the bonds in his pack, since people outside of it were (in majority) out of the question. Jackson and Erica were rather good, but not enough. Isaac and Boyd were better for the terms, but the magic bond hadn’t been renewed. Lydia and Allison would not be as fast as a werewolf.

“Then…” Stiles started, trying to buy as much time as he could, desperation slowly rising “Why haven’t you?”

The woman looked at him, her frown falling deeper. Stiles would have thought she was furious if that smile, a rather serious one, almost like a straight line, hadn’t stopped him in the way. Meanwhile, he thought about Scott. Their bond was deep enough and his magic was growing bigger in anticipation for calling him out for help. He decided to dig into it, swimming into the magic as much as he could until he reached it.

But something cut him off, making Stiles’ energy fall back feeling ill. His best friend’s soul was unapproachable for him, and he didn’t understand until he remembered Derek’s words the day he’d try to cast a spell to trick Scott into doing something very embarrassing for him: _“Scott’s wolf is a little different from the others. There’s a different smell on him and, if trained, that ability could be helpful and someday guide the pack”._

Stiles’ mind seemed to slow everything down. The woman’s forefinger already started pressing down the trigger, and what was the scariest of all things, was that it could be pointed at anything and hit some other place a lot different from the original direction. That was the fearful magic of the old Arthurian legends.

So, in desperation, he touched the bond he didn’t want to poke, the one he’d avoided not to hurt or worry that one person any more than he needed to and because he thought it would not be possible to grab.

Derek.

Stiles wouldn’t have thought it would absorb him so quickly. The magic instantly flowed into the path between them and grew a lot bigger in a quarter of second, like it was the most natural thing to do, like the bond that tied them together was meant for that kind of connection in first place. It was like drowning into the calm, warm and comfortable place that was the alpha.

Soon, his eyes were seeing flashes. The figure of the broad shoulders, the leather jacket, the beard, the green eyes turning around in sudden realization as Stiles’ tried to hold into his presence.

_‘Stiles…?’_

And then, the bond was gone. Everything broke down so suddenly it left him gasping for air, a wheeze as his throat tried to hold in the air a pass it to his lunges, failing several times but succeeding in others. His father screamed his name for a second, but he couldn’t hear his voice over the ringing in his ears. Again, it was like that time he tried to heal Derek and couldn’t, but worse.

“Alright” he heard a voice; the tone making his head hurt “That should be enough”.

When Stiles looked up, his hands and knees on the ground and his father’s hand on his back, the girl was not pointing her gun at them. Instead, she moved her arm and threw the toy far away from her. Afterwards, she sat down in the chair behind her, crossing her legs and arms.

Stiles sat up panting, his father frowning at the woman. He tried to use that opportunity to pull out the gun of his belt, being stopped again by his son’s shaky hand on his. Stiles had no strength left to tell him anything over their bond, unless he wanted to pass out immediately. And he couldn’t. He needed answers.

“My apologies” The woman said, sighting “I didn’t mean to get to such lengths but it was necessary”.

Stiles tried taking deep, steady breaths as his father’s shocked voice came to his ears “What in the hell is this?! First, you’re pointing at us with a toy guy. Second, you use crazy magic to dry my own son out, and now you’re apologizing and expects us to believe you?!” Sometimes, Stiles would forget he and his father were that much alike in some cases.

“Exactly” she said, not even a speck of respect to older people in her voice. His dad shook his head at her as she shrugged, not even moved “I could still kill you if I wanted to, but instead I let you live. That should be enough proof”.

It wasn’t. Stiles had met very, very crazy people who had twisted reasons for doing what they did or even just for the pleasure of doing so. His father would believe the same. However, Stiles knew there was something different in that girl, something bugging him constantly since they met her.

“What…” Stiles said, between pants. The wheeze in his throat making talking even harder “… are your plans…?”

“Nothing much” she said, he arm stretching to grab a bottle of water and opening it up “It’s more like I need a key to live” she took a sip of the water and stared at the object she’d dropped, the toy gun on top of the carpet on the entrance of the room “And since nobody else in your pack could lead me there, I searched for you”.

It hit him, like something crushing his head. The comprehension of what had really happened inside of that room. He was never the target and neither had been his dad. The woman had only one person in mind, and he’d been such an idiot to call him out for her.

She was looking for Derek.

Then, it happened.

The window of his room flew off in a second. The glass broke quickly enough for the sharp parts to scatter around. His father covered him with his body, and Stiles was just glad his defensive spell had worked just fine for that, because without it he could have had very serious cuts all over his body.

Stiles looked up the next second; her magic protected most of her body except for her legs and face, opened up in various cuts that started bleeding immediately. Stiles figured it was because her energy was still focused in the room to protect it from casual sights, but it was not good at all for her not to break it that instant.

He could hardly see the shadow that passed by them in an amazing speed and launched into the woman that just stood up, falling on top of her and throwing her with a huge amount of force to the ground. The roar that followed almost cleared any dizziness that Stiles might have had, adrenaline rushing through his veins as he moved his hands to pull his father away.

Derek’s eyes were bright red, and Stiles could tell he was halfway to transforming to the enormous wolf he’d already seen before. His teeth were showing as he roared multiple times, the claws of his left hand grabbing the woman’s neck but not sliding it open at the very second. That made him wonder why Derek was hesitating, and he was sure it wasn’t because she was a moment.

“I’ll slice you! I’ll destroy you!” Derek roared, his voice sounding cold and enraged as he’d never been in front of Stiles. He heard noises outside and guessed the guys had come to their alpha’s call “NOBODY HURTS MY PACK!”

But suddenly, as Derek’s other clawed hand came down to strike the woman’s eyes and pull them out to make her suffer; a smile appeared on her face. A satisfied, surprised smile where only indifference had existed were curving those lips; eyes opened to the maximum, a strange contentment flowing into them as if magic filled them up.

“WAIT!”

Derek stopped and turned to him, his anger trying not to ignore his call and bite down the flesh in front, then confusion and misunderstanding in his red eyes, his wolf features slowly fading as he saw how the boy in front of him could hardly stand on his feet leaning his weight into his father’s shoulder.

“Her eyes! Show me her eyes!” Stiles screamed.

As her face fell off her, Derek was faster. He hesitated only one second before doing as he was told, pulling the woman’s body off the ground and using his other hand to make her turn to Stiles. He used that brief moment to cast the last spell he could think off.

The woman’s pupils grew, the color of her eyes becoming darker as she gasped in surprise. It had worked, and thankfully, it didn’t use a lot of his energy. He would still feel dizzy but not enough to faint right there without hearing what he wanted to hear. And yeah, he would make her talk.

Derek stood up and slammed the woman against the wall. She let go a soft cry as the alpha’s claws tried and were slowly succeeding at digging down at her skin. Stiles knew being blind didn’t stop a magician to cast self-protection spells, but he also knew she wouldn’t be able to hold her current spells and the one blocking the room from the rest of the hospital much longer.

She fought the grab, but couldn’t win, and she knew. Eventually, she stopped moving, her legs trying to kick the alpha, and simply smiled “Me” She said, some strange melancholy in her voice “Defeated by the blinding spell of novices. That’s low for you, bird boy”.

Derek’s eye glared back at him for a second, like asking exactly what was happening and how the woman just _knew_. But Stiles shook his head. It wasn’t the moment to explain, he’d do that later. He left his father’s shoulder and (hardly) walked towards her “You’re one to talk” Stiles breathed, trying to hold himself onto his feet when his father grabbed his arm again “Using a sick person and an old man to get to Derek, is that somehow good?”

“I don’t have any excuses and neither can I make some up” Derek groaned at her, but Stiles called his name to make him stop from tearing her apart.

“Who sent you here?” Derek asked, his voice more of a roar than anything. Stiles could clearly see in his eyes that he wanted very much to just kill her very slowly for everything she’d done “Who’s your boss?”

“I’m a lone wolf. You should understand” she said, sharply. Derek had to make a serious self-control count-down from 10 in his mind (Stiles could tell just from looking) not to slice her body right there.

Instead, his clawed hand hit and brow the wall beside her in fury “I’m NOTHING like you…” Derek’s roar would be quite enough to intimidate anybody, as it did for her. At least, for the brief second it lasted on her face. From that, Stiles knew she didn’t want to die.

“Why are you looking for Derek?” Stiles asked, looking at her eyes glaring at space “Why did you do this?

 Her face became serious “I guess it’s because of many things…”

 “Tell us” Stiles said, now able to stand on his feet and get closer.

 “What if I don’t…?” She dared to ask, making Derek frown deeper.

 “You’ll die. As simple as that”.

 The woman laughed. She was not even in the least amused by the situation; perhaps she was very nervous about that “I’m not such an important piece on the board. I did not fulfill my mission of killing as much members I could to get to the alpha, they would kill me anyway”.

 Stiles felt in need to step back, but didn’t. Instead, he stepped closer “Then, why didn’t you?”

 The woman and the whole room fell into silence. His father shifter, glaring at the pack trying to trespass the barrier that still wasn’t disappearing. Derek fought with himself between obeying Stiles and pleasing his vengeance. Stiles, on the other hand, just stared at her.

 She closed her eyes “Maybe…” She confessed, it looked like it was difficult for her to admit it “Because my family was hunted down too”.

 Stiles didn’t understand immediately, but he didn’t have enough time. Something moved inside him, feeling the outsides of the building, immediately gasping at more magic energy entering the building, and they didn’t have enough time. Whoever they were, two people for sure, were good enough to hide their smell from the werewolves, and fighting there, in the middle of a lot of people, was not an option.

 He also saw the woman jumping in Derek’s hand. At first, desperation raised, and then she smiled, scared, afraid “… They’re here” Derek’s surprised face was almost too much to handle “They’ve come to kill us all…”

 Her tone clearly said she wasn’t going to fight back. Whoever they were, they could probably defeat her without much thinking. But Stiles already had a plan popping out in his brain so fast he was impressed. He was glad Derek just stood there and didn’t do much damage.

 “Let’s make a deal”.

Everybody’s attention was turned to Stiles. He breathed again, wondering if he was making the right decision.

“You’ll have an opportunity to live on, and you’ll help us in the process” She looked deeply confused, and so did Derek, turning around as if Stiles was crazy “Being blind can’t stop you from casting spells on yourself as you’ve done. You’ll call off the one around the room, and afterwards you’ll cast a spell of loyalty”.

The woman frowned, Derek put her down, still pressing her neck against the wall, but allowing her to touch the ground with her feet “Basically” she said, her voice hoarse “You want me submit to your will and give you my freedom?”

“No, not to me” Stiles said, shaking his head “To Derek”.

They both glared at him, their eyes opened in surprise and the frown very deep on their faces. Derek’s was particularly laughable at any other situation, but not right at the moment. Stiles cleared his throat, but it was clearly harder to think with the powerful beings coming closer.

“I read about your kind of magic once” He looked at Derek and then back at her “Judging from looks, you haven’t done the spell yet. Your kind of magic is a lot more powerful when you have a master who’s not human. If you become loyal to Derek, you’ll join the pack and tell us everything we need to know”.

The woman tried to smile, but it was more like a twist in her face “… Those are just child’s stories. The Arthurian legends describe us as witches and wizards like Merlin and makes it ridiculously exaggerate. Yes, there are rumors that lead to King Arthur not being human, but nothing to confirm that. There’s not real proof that it’ll really work out-“

“It’s still worth the try isn’t it?” Stiles cut her off. She jumped back, her face showing sadness and desperation “Don’t you want to live?”

“You don’t understand!” She suddenly cried out, her voice wrinkling and waving, her eyes teary “I’ll be a slave! If I submit to him I’ll be his servant until I die! There will be no life for me!”

“It’s stupid”.

Derek’s sudden intervention took Stiles and the woman off guard. She jumped slightly when Derek’s hand let her go, and the alpha’s eyes focused on her. The werewolf features were no longer there, and the green eyes were almost dazzling for Stiles. The alpha looked at him one more time, accepting his petition.

“I’ll be clear, I don’t like you” he said, harshly. Stiles felt like scolding him until he talked again “But since Stiles thinks it’s okay and wants to help you, I’ll accept his choice and the consequences. Pack is family, not slaves” It was so much talk from Derek it surprised him “So get to it already”.

The woman stared at the alpha as if he’d grown a second head, perhaps Stiles was thinking the same, only for a little bit. Soon, she seemed to close her eyes, and when he opened them again, a rather gloomy smile appeared on her face, followed by a very weak laugh.

“You’re all a bunch of weirdos with a grumpy leader” she said, and Stiles’ mind slowly agreed in a way. Derek on the other hand, scowled so much it made Stiles smile briefly “Fine” He turned back to her, seriousness rising again in her “I’ll do it just because I don’t want to die right here”.

She used her hand to make Derek step back a little and give her some space. Stiles hadn’t even notice when the spell of the room had disappeared, and his pack were all around them, looking in silence and expectation. The moment they add another member was crucial for a pack, the needed to recognize said member as their alpha had done.

“Ah, one more thing” Stiles turned back “I was never a woman, I hope you understand”.

She didn’t give anyone enough time to articulate a muffled squeal of disbelief. Knee down in the ground, the other leg bent over, her arms resting on that leg and the other leaning into the ground. She looked at Derek one more time when her eyes changed color. There was no other trace of Stiles’ spell on her, instead, they became bright red as Derek’s eyes.

With her head bowed, she declared:

“I, Arlhim Van Hous, submit to your will. Might my soul be at your hands, my King”.

* * *

 

Stiles did not consider just how different things would be from that point on until he was already off the ground, his wings out and flying, grabbing Derek's body as tight as he could, and feeling in need of air. Yeah, he probably would die that time for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uff! Writing a lot lately :D I don't know if you noticed, but I like drama XD
> 
> I hope you sill like the story. Perhaps it will only be 10 chapters long or something.
> 
> Thank you for reading! ;D


	5. The magic

Stiles stared at the ceiling for what it seemed to be at least two or three hours until the door of his room suddenly opened. His dad was at home, and so were Scott and Boyd, but this person was neither by the way he or she walked silently and slowly on purpose. He briefly wondered if he was in trouble, but relaxed after hearing a chair being bulled towards his bed.

"So…” He asked, closing his eyes slightly and sighting. He was surprised he could still sight “How did it go?”

There was a very short pause and a sound of the chair being fixed again to make it comfortable “Well, it seems the ones who hunted were you and your pack… But I’m told you barely made it”.

Stiles glared at Deaton for a second before closing his eyes again. He wasn’t as tired as he’d felt the first time he woke up. His body didn’t feel sore nor hurt, but he did sense the fatigue he recognized as magical and something else. But still, he couldn’t get over the knowledge his body gained at that moment.

His magic had been used in his sleep. By who, by that new pack member they’d got before the fight.

Stiles could almost taste the current of the magic passing through his own, mixing with his life force, and his own power unconsciously devouring the other like a helpless prey. He couldn’t help feeling sick, as he also couldn’t stop himself when he woke up from continuing, and probably passed out while trying. Now though, only remained little particles of said energy that he knew were impossible to save.

He passed a hand over his face “How long has it been?” He asked, feeling surprised even his voice sounded perfectly fine, and then became horrified remembering what his own magic had done.

“Almost three days now” Deaton answered, leaning back on his chair, fingers tangling on his lap “And you really don’t remember, as Scott mentioned”.

Stiles laughed a bit, no hint of amusement in his voice, as he sat up in his bed. He sighted again “I wish I could remember something from that point, aside from the sound of my bones breaking and Derek’s body in my arms”.

He took a moment for himself as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his crossed legs. These memories flowed so fast and yet so clear in his brain he wished he’d never remembered, and tried without succeeding to push them to the back of his mind to give himself a break. It was everything he’d thought about since he woke up, as much as the unpleasant sensation of himself consuming another’s energy as a vampire sucking blood.

“Interesting spell, by the way” Deaton said, crossing his arms and smiling.

“You taught me _almost_ everything after all” Stiles shrugged, trying to relax a little and failing hard. His body was completely tense and his mind was inspecting with his regained magic energy every bond he had with his pack “The rest I looked it up”.

“What a skilled apprentice I’ve found then…” Deaton mentioned, his eyes closing and leaving silence behind his words.

Stiles used Deaton’s silence to see how his pack was doing. One thing he knew from Deaton was he never told things completely and hid some essential parts, so that they found out on their own and didn’t seek his help anymore. Although Stiles had to admit he knew the old man tried his hard to stay away, Deaton just couldn’t leave them be, and his promise to god knows who always kept being twisted to fit his intentions.

His magic recognized his father’s energy as it was the closest, probably sitting in the living room glaring at the TV with Scott and Boyd, the three trying to really watch something or at least seem like it while the two werewolves peeked unsuccessfully at his conversation with Deaton (the man had been wary enough to put a barrier to his room as soon as he got in, Stiles sensed). The three of them had been visiting him every other time, worried he might be weak and try to stand up.

Erica, Isaac and Jackson were fully healed after getting seriously injured during the fight and Lydia had still the twisted ankle but it seemed to be wrapped up. Allison was okay, but seemed to be out town as Stiles couldn’t feel her presence, her father with her mostly.

Reluctantly, he picked up in his mind the bond between that new member and himself. He was surprised how energetic he’d found the magic between them, like there was really nothing wrong except for a little exhaustion from time to time. That left him completely confused, as it must have shown on his face.

“You see it don’t you?” Deaton asked “The little lights of the other energy being swallowed by your own”.

Stiles gulped, feeling his head throbbing with pain “… It’s hard not to notice you’re eating a baby from the inside”.

Deaton’s face of faked sympathy that almost reached pity couldn’t be overlooked. He probably knew, himself, the feeling of giving away or receiving any life force from others so much that he could do nothing more than show himself as understanding as he could for Stiles.

“How do I cut it off?” Stiles asked, massaging his temples as he felt another little amount of energy entering his body. He repelled it as strongly as he could, but his subconscious constantly fought with his reason to grab a little more of that (should his subconscious self say) _‘Delicious’_ energy.

“You can’t” Deaton answered.

“What you mean to say is that I _can’t_ but it sounds more like I _won’t_ ” Stiles said, his voice sounding frustrated without reason, or perhaps very justified because of the fight he kept with himself.

“Sadly, it’s not my energy or yours” Deaton sighted, leaning forward, his elbows resting in his knees and his hands holding his chin “A spell of share from this kind of magic can only be lifted by the one who casted it”.

Stiles took a deep breath as he swam into the magic bond once again, feeling it slightly narrowed, probably because of the time they’d know each other _‘Hey, brat’_ Stiles greeted that new member, Arlhim Van Hous if he wasn’t mistaken _‘Stop feeding me with magic like a pig to be eaten in Christmas Eve’._

He sensed disgust at the nickname, then indifference, then care for others, then understanding, then resign _’I can’t, old man’_ A pause, walking. A leather jacket with broad shoulders as somebody read books _‘Master doesn’t want it’._

Stiles felt angry _‘Of course he’d not want it if you don’t tell him! He’s as incredibly oblivious with magic as you and Scott are with people!’_ He felt himself waving away the magic trying to enter his body, fighting at the same time with his own trying to grab it whole.

Bother, rolling eyes. Then simply sighting and frowning _‘He wanted with his whole heart you healed completely, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. It’s not my fault your magic is a lot bigger and ravenous than anybody could think off’_.

Stiles sighted and passed a hand over his face. He wasn’t really aware of what had that spell of loyalty informed any of the two, master and servant, but he had a general idea of it based on the Arthurian Legends he’d found hidden in Deaton’s documents. Basically, Merlin had to show his heart completely to King Arthur and vice versa, so the promise between the two could be born solidly.

“You could try smaller amounts” Deaton said, making Stiles snapped. He considered his help, and accepted his advice.

 _‘At least, don’t send be enormous buffets’_ Stiles said, transmitting Deaton’s message over their bond.

There was a snort, then seriousness, then a nod _‘Alright, old man. But that’s as much as I’ll do for you in this’._

_‘Derek will call it off eventually, spoiled brat’._

Stiles felt the magic shattering and returning to both of them. He finally accepted grudgingly the amount he’d received that time, hoping there wasn’t a next or at least it would be one (last) much smaller quantity. He felt immediately gross when it wasn’t slowly assimilated by his magic, but engulfed whole instead. He almost wanted to puke at the emotion. It was exactly like eating a baby from the inside and not being able to stop.

His hand passed over his face repetitively, then over his hair. He closed his eyelids, and once again found himself looking for his alpha, for the smallest amount of energy from the werewolf that he knew, the minimum hint to that place he’d found in their bond. The warmth, the comfortableness, anything that leaded to that.

But he couldn’t find Derek. He’d been trying nonstop ever since waking up for the first time to make sure he was okay, but hadn’t found anything. Luckily, the bond with the rest of his pack (except Scott, of course) told him Derek was alive and somewhere researching something, but Stiles felt worried he couldn’t approach him as he’d done before, when the werewolf came in to ‘save’ him and his father at the hospital.

“I can’t reach Derek with my magic…” He suddenly said, his lips moving on their own as if they were alive and separated from his body.

Deaton didn’t move nor shift, he looked as if he would nod but didn’t “Alpha werewolves are different than others” The man sighted and closed his eyes before continuing “They have strong barriers even we can’t trespass, without being aware of this fact themselves. That you could touch his mind back then is as impressive as improbable for other magicians”.

Stiles smiled. Deaton knew everything; he always did “Why could I at that moment, then? Why did it feel so natural to do so?”

The older man shrugged as he leaned against the back of the chair once again, a sight leaving him as he looked at his eyes “Probably for the same reason that boy obeyed you even when you aren’t his master”.

Stiles thought about it for a second without completely understanding what he tried to say. He tilted his head as he looked at Deaton, his eyebrows wrinkling his forehead “What exactly is that about?”

“You should at least understand that…” Deaton started, his eyes looking to his hands resting in his thighs “The magic energy of that boy, once it’s submitted to other’s will, will completely and solely obey the desire the master expresses. As for the wishes that come from deep inside, the ones they put on the line while making the contract; they’re prioritized”.

“So, you mean that Derek…” Stiles started, his head turning around and glaring at the sheets covering his bed. There was a small box that Stiles couldn’t open until he felt completely stable, and he knew from Scott it was from Derek “… deeply wishes for me to live above anything else?”

“It would seem…” Deaton answered, his sight slowly parting from Stiles’ figure to the window “You’re significant enough to be taken as second master”.

He glared at the night sky. His eyes looked slightly happy for a second, then it suddenly saddened so much Stiles thought Deaton would break. It was followed by nostalgia, then guilt, then deep regret over everything in some past that Stiles didn’t know about the veterinarian… That until everything started to click in his mind, everything fitting other pieces of information as Stiles turned to him again.

“Deaton, who…” Stiles started, doubting in the last second before deciding to go on “Who was your master?”

The old man slowly turned to him. Stiles felt himself almost about to gasp in surprise at his expression. He looked like a completely different man. There was no mysterious Deaton, instead, there was a man with a sad smile on his face, eyes completely showing guilt and nostalgia of a life that once had been Deaton’s, now floating into emptiness.

He entangled his fingers and looked at them again “… There are many things you still don’t know about me, boy. My past is something that no man should know about but…” He looked at Stiles’ eyes directly “There’s no point hiding it from you since you have the potential to enter my mind pretty soon anyways”.

Stiles was about to ask without completely being ready to know the answer, as to why everybody thought his magic was a time bomb or some beast feeding off others’ energy. But he couldn’t pretty much start making the question up in his mind when he received a charge of magic from the older man sitting in front of him, his eyes looking into the other’s, images being held by their brains.

Then he saw it. He felt it. The image of the master. A house, home, family. _‘Welcome back’_ Someone was saying. Then a promise. An accident, guilt, regret. _‘Swear, that you won’t come back’_ Master said as she turned back _‘For your own good and ours’_. Abandoned. The loved one turning his back. Then master also did.

“Mas… ter…” Stiles muttered as more images passed in his eyes, tears arising.

Loneliness, shame, tears. Magic growing, return _‘Master, please… please’._ _’Traitor! You promised our alpha!’_ the loved one said as he pushed. Attack. Pain, death. The loved one is crying. Regret, pain, frustration. Master is looking down _‘You’ll protect our next generation. Not ours’_ Master’s eyes are tearing _‘Please, never become pack again. Please. Leave!’_ Remorse, confusion, anger, tears, suffering.

Return. Fire. Big, enormous fire. And kids. Kids looking at ashes.

Stiles closed his eyes “No more… No more…” he said, as tears flowed off his face. Stiles rested his head in his hands “I’m sorry, Deaton. I’m so sorry…”

Stiles saw one more flash in his head. The image of the woman that once was his master, the one he’d seen in his father’s archives when investigating about Laura and the Hales. The lead of the Hale family, smiling, accepting Deaton’s will.

He felt a hand caressing his head, then Deaton’s voice. Not his rigid voice, rather the soft one of the person he’d been once “It’s okay, boy… Perhaps I went too far…”

Stiles tried to endure it, to assure Deaton he would absolutely help him get away from his past. But he couldn’t. It was too much to take or to feel, way too much for a boy his age, even for the man Deaton had been then. The clearness, how Deaton remembered every detail, had shut any response Stiles could give except from crying out.

However, he was indeed stubborn, and could still gasp as he talked “It… is… okay…” he said, between cries. He repeated the same words once and again and again in his mind until he could at least control the tears, if not his desperation.

A hand on his shoulder, then nothing “… I will talk to you about what happened the other day. Please forget this and try to get some sleep for now…”

How to forget something so important? Leave something so meaningful for his magic professor to be forgotten? Not to remember Deaton’s feelings when they’d touched his heart at the very core?

_‘Hey, old man’._

Stiles snapped slightly. It had been at least twenty minutes since Deaton had left him alone in his room, remembering every single aspect about what he’d seen in his mind. He noticed he felt suddenly cold, his skin perhaps too rigid for his liking, but wondered if it was indeed his sensations or if they belonged to the memory he’d received.

His eyes closed as he opened to the boy that was trying to contact him _‘What’s wrong?’_ he asked. Worry, even though he tried to hide it _‘You seem… depressed ’_ Confused, trying to look inside but being unable to.

Stiles knew his magic barriers where perhaps tall, if not as tall as Derek’s, they were still considerably hard. Deaton had informed him of this fact the first day he instructed him of magic, claiming that even when that kind of ability in humans was as rare as helpful, it could also mean a danger for his loved ones not to let them in. Stiles had tried to learn how to open himself to his allies, and as he was getting better at it, he slowly noticed how difficult it had been at the start.

He waved his hand in the air, and sent several waves of calmness through the bond, even though he didn’t know where they got them from _‘I’m fine, don’t worry’_.

Walking. Talking, someone is leaving. Stiles could see brief images from the other’s magic in his mind, although very blurry and hardly recognizable _‘Master doesn’t believe it’_ he suddenly declared, taking Stiles off guard _‘He said it’s something else and left’._ A pause _‘I’ll follow but stay outside’._ He reassured as he starts walking out of the place. The magic flow was cut again.

Stiles looked up. He took a moment to think through the information. Derek was coming? On his way to Stiles’ room? Where? Would he be in trouble? Was he too far away from his house? Could he be endangered by a sudden ambush in the middle of the street even though he ran at supernatural werewolf speed?

He unconsciously inspected their bond for the thousandth time and…

It changed.

Stiles felt it. Again, swimming into a different kind of feeling. Heat, comfort, kindness. He found that place between them again, and his magic seemed to jump overexcited every time he touched again and again the energy. That red and silver vitality of the Alpha werewolf he’d thought about all the time.

His heart felt like coming out of his chest when he suddenly saw the fur of a black wolf, running through the forest, unconsciously clawing trees again and again as he passed by, then the end of the forest and the street. It was perhaps too soon when he found the buildings and the houses some miles ahead, and stopped at the sight of his house.

Then, his eyes. Red eyes, turning. Realizing. Stiles tried desperately again to hold into his presence. And then he knew it wasn’t difficult at all. Instead, it was as easy as grabbing a table spoon or standing up or walking in a straight line.

_‘Stiles!’_

The jog of the wolf resumed, faster, anxious and tense. The fur bristled slightly when the wolf jumped from a building to another house, and then from there to the street again. Surprisingly and thankfully, there was no one around, but he knew somebody would appreciate the marks of claws in the buildings and the shredded parts of roadway in the morning.

 _‘Calm down, idiot. You’ll destroy the entire town’_ Stiles said to himself, surprised it was transmitted through the bond without the need of his magic interfering.

The wolf relaxed slightly, his jogging unstopped but the intensity of the touch between the claws and the objects decreased. The red eyes stared for a moment at the house before climbing in, blocking the smell of the alpha to the betas inside. Stiles wondered briefly how Derek even got that ability to start with, when the window shivered, the glass being touched.

He got off the bed, his feet feeling the coldness, and walked towards the window. Stiles first got his attention caught by the red-colored, sparkling eyes of the wolf standing outside, looking at him, staring very closely at his every movement. Then he focused on the black fur, soft as Derek’s hair. Then the wolf’s breath misting the window slightly.

And Stiles found it so warm and beautiful he felt breathless. As gorgeous as his human form, but in a slightly different way.

“You do like to make big appearances don’t you?” Stiles said out loud as he opened the window, stepping back a little to let the wolf in.

The canine groaned, entering and pacing around his room before sitting down in the middle of it. Stiles sighted as he closed the window again, and walked towards his alpha. Derek’s wolf was almost as big as his human form, probably enough for Stiles to use him as a bed. A very fluffy, grumpy bed.

 _‘… I don’t do them if I don’t need to’_. Derek said, scratching with his paw the back of his ear. Stiles wondered if he could indeed bark or even howl because it would have been very hilarious.

“You look more and more like a dog…” he said, a small smirk on his face. Stiles embraced his knees and tilted his head at Derek, smiling. Then, he realized “Wait a second” he moved his legs and crawled over to him, looking directly at his red eyes “I can actually understand you”.

 _‘Way to go, captain obvious’_ Derek said, his eyes rolling. Stiles really did wonder if actual wolfs were able to do that.

“Oh my god, now you’re mocking me” Stiles answered, extending his hands to grab Derek’s fluffy ears and see how they slightly twitched every time. So cute “I’m the next Wolf Whisperer and little Derek is my new Alpha werewolf comedian”.

 _‘… Really, Stiles? Really?’_ Narrowing eyes, yes. Another thing wolfs could do for sure, Stiles thought.

He laughed slightly, Derek’s head looking away as he rolled eyes again. The wolf lied in the carpet behind him, making himself comfortable as the younger continued to laugh and glare at him. Stiles knew Derek noticed in his smell something was wrong, but actually wondered if he would be able to tell something as important as that.

_‘Stiles?’_

He leaned into the coat of the wolf, cuddling into the smooth and hot touch of his hair, his head resting in Derek’s neck as the rest of his body covered beneath his hind paw. Derek didn’t move away, instead he let his head fall, lying it down near his shoulder.

Stiles doubted for a brief second if he should hide something from Derek, but then he understand it wasn’t his secret to tell. It was Deaton’s _‘I just… found out something and… well… it went no good…’_

Derek stirred a little at the change from words to the bond they shared, but said nothing about it. After a little pause, breathing in Stiles’ shoulder, he asked _‘… Was it bad… or important…?’_ Another pause. Derek lifted his head and smelled the air. His hair rose as he turned his eyes _‘Deaton was here. What did he want?’_

Stiles sat up to glare at Derek’s eyes, frowning involuntarily before remembering Derek had no idea. Absolutely no idea. As an alternative for his soon to be angry mood to defend his magic teacher, he leaned his head back in Derek’s fur, his eyes closed and his nose pressed against his hair.

There was a small whine as the wolf’s nose was pressed against his back. Derek had _whined_ . Derek Hale had just _whined_ for _Stiles_!

Stiles felt a smile growing on his face as he turned around and greeted the red, worried eyes settled on him _‘You’re such a smoothwolf sometimes, sourwolf. You’ll lose the title’_ Stiles could almost hear a groan from Derek even though the wolf only seemed to be annoyed, looking away from Stiles for a second before returning _’I’m really fine’_ Stiles said, caressing his head _‘Stop worrying so much’._

The wolf closed his eyes, pressing his head against his hand to get more caresses. Stiles smiled as he continued stroking Derek’s fur, slowly memorizing how he liked to be touched behind the ear, and how his hind paw started moving as excitedly as his tail when his hand scratched his neck, and also how he groaned a little when he accidentally breathed in his ear.

 _‘Hey Derek…’_ Stiles hugged his neck tightly, burying his head between his fur _‘What happened that day?’_

Derek shifted slightly _‘I… I don’t think you’d like to know’._

 _‘But I do… I want to know how the plan still worked out’_ Stiles answered, hearing some soft steps outside and lifting a barrier around his room almost immediately. It was almost a reflex Deaton had taught him to have.

 _‘Isn’t it enough just to know everybody is safe for now…?’_ Derek asked, frustrated it seemed. Stiles sensed something very similar to pain, desperation, maybe the memories of the alpha _‘There’s no need for you to worry about little details of the past’._

Stiles felt another wave of sadness passing by him, and Derek seemed to feel it too when he shifted to look at the boy, his eyes worried. Hearing those words from Derek made him remember about Deaton’s memories, all way too clear for his liking. But he tried to keep in control, grabbing the fur a little too tight.

_‘Derek… I…’_

He thought about Deaton’s master, his will, his love, his life, all of those crumbling down so suddenly he never had the opportunity to tell them how much they meant in his life. Time was something Deaton never had, and then he had to live with the consequences, and will continue to do so for the rest of his life.

And Stiles understood. He got the real reason why his teacher had showed him his memories. It was because his magic was growing so unpredictably since his “transformation” that he could end up the same. It was very possible for him to commit the same mistakes Deaton had in his past. But Stiles would never do it.

Stiles was different. A lot different.

That’s what he wanted to believe.

 _‘I transformed again, didn’t I?’_ Stiles said, lost between his teacher’s memories and his own _‘I did when I saw you in danger’._

The wolf’s nose twisted at the memory once and again, glaring away from the boy for little seconds before turning back _‘Yes, Stiles’_ Guilt, and regret. That’s what Stiles was feeling in their bond, some little hint of fear very far away _‘It seems I’m the trigger to your transformation and near-death states’._

 _‘Don’t take me wrong, Derek’_ he mentioned as he closed his eyes. He breathed in Derek, feeling his heat, his worry, and his surprise as he said that _‘I’m just glad I’m able to protect you as much as you protect me and the pack’._

Then, there was a feeling Stiles couldn’t recognize. So brief, so small, yet so bright it made him think their connection was a lot more fragile than he initially thought. Then it disappeared, and he wished to see that light once again between them.

 _‘What’s an Alpha’s job but to protect the pack?’_ Derek suddenly said, his energy becoming suddenly cold _‘If we are able to expel the pain from others is to keep our pack away from it. That I’m not able to do so is just…’_

 _‘Hey, hey, no’_ Stiles interrupted as he turned to look at him. His hands extended and grabbed his head in his hands, to avoid having the werewolf look away _‘Stop feeling guilty and trying to blame everything on yourself, Derek. None of this is your fault, and you’re not a bad Alpha’._

Warmth again. Then cold. Some mix of sensations colliding between them. Stiles was afraid their bond would cut off at any second. Derek, unaware of this fact, leaned into the boy’s lap, closing his eyes _‘Sometimes it’s harder than you think, Stiles. A lot harder to bear such a load between your shoulders. But I don’t want any of you to bear it, so I do it myself. This is another of my past consequences, of the Hale reputation affecting all of you, and I’m currently responsible for that’._

Stiles frowned _‘I don’t like what you’re saying, Derek’._

 _‘None of you would be involved if it wasn’t for me and my family, so maybe…’_ the wolf continued, his eyes parting from Stiles’ to the window, to the night sky _‘Maybe if I just…’_ Derek shook his head and Stiles’ hand fell from it _‘If I just turn myself in then all of you…’_

He yelped, then groaned, showing his teeth. Stiles was pulling his ear on purpose to make him simply stop talking. The boy was frowning at the wolf as he started pulling the other ear. If it had been any other person, maybe Derek would have ripped said person’s head off. But it was Stiles, and he was invulnerable to Derek’s threats.

When he let go, Derek quickly moved away from him, only by a few steps. Stiles frowned even more _‘Now listen, you mister I-pity-myself-but-I’ll-be-a-sacrifice-anyway_ _sourwolf’_ Derek turned, his red eyes glowing brighter and his teeth showing _‘First of all things, we all know your family protected the whole town. Stop blaming things on the hero when the culprits are the bad guys’_ He temporarily thought about Deaton’s story, but then let it slide for the moment.

Derek wanted to say something, but Stiles lifted one finger in front of him and he immediately shut up and stopped trying, at least for the moment.

Stiles continued, serious _‘Second of all, just look at us! Boyd was supposed to be alone forever, Erica was sick, and Isaac had some shitty parents. Jackson was bitten out of the blue and so was Scott. All of them would’ve been lost without you to guide them. As for Allison and Lydia, well, thanks to you Lydia is not killing us yet and Allison gets to spend time with Scott. And now you just saved this boy Arlhim from being killed in the hands of some crazy hunters by making him a part of the pack’._

 _‘All of you could have had a normal life’_ Derek suddenly interrupted, his eyes drifting from there and his eyelids closing _‘Werewolves are ironically vulnerable to more dangerous threats than humans are. If any of this never happened then you would be safe-‘_

_‘We would be alone’._

Derek turned, his red eyes glowing brighter at the minute. Stiles knew there was sadness on them, fear, and frustration at himself. He knew, not only from the bond they shared, but from every second he’d spend with him in the pack. And it always attracted him how the alpha continually kept everything to himself not to bother the others, and how he acted so unapproachable so he couldn’t get attached to another soon-to-be tragedy.

But Stiles also knew he needed them. Derek needed a family.

 _‘Derek, listen carefully’_ Stiles sat up right in front of the wolf, looking directly at his eyes _‘Yes, perhaps SOME of us would be safer if we weren’t going through this, but our lives would have less of a meaning. A fact is, want it or not, we’re together now, and nothing you do will EVER change the past’._

Stiles waited. And he found it. The fear of losing more than what’s already been lost. That same terror that had always hunted Derek ever since they first met. The fire that burned Derek from the inside and that Stiles and the pack had been unable to put out.

 _‘Maybe you’re not perfect, none of us are’_ Stiles crawled over and hugged Derek, tightening his grab _‘But you’re able to shield us the best you can, and worry for us as family. We all think there’s no one best for the job of watching over some uneasy kids like us but you’._

For one second, Stiles thought Derek was crying, but knew he would never. Probably that was his soul, knowing everything said was right.

 _'T_ _hen what did I do for you?’_ Derek asked out of nowhere, a little whine coming out of his wolf body _‘You keep being hurt, and keep overworking yourself instead of us. There’s no way I’ve made your life better…’_

Stiles smiled. Derek was really unaware of how much he’d done for Stiles? He didn’t know why he found it so amusing he thought he was almost about to laugh. And definitely, if Derek had been in his human form, an eyebrow would’ve been lifted at him at the moment.

 _‘Really, Derek? Really?’_ He asked, unable to control his laugh. He separated from Derek to look at his eyes. His glowing, red eyes that he loved, but that also made him miss the pale green of normality. Stiles found his own voice again “You gave me people I love the most”.

The same light again. Stronger, palpitating, moving to him. Derek’s eyes glowed brighter as Stiles felt a little overwhelmed by the feeling. He knew that feeling. Yes, they were similar after all. They had both lost something important in their life, they had both been alone at very crucial moments, and they had both tried to defend what was precious to them. And now, they were stuck together, as a family, as pack.

Maybe that was what made Stiles fall in love with Derek in first place.

“Derek” Stiles said, his heart almost about to pour out of his chest at the feeling he was receiving, suddenly going away again. He felt the beats even faster in his ear, and was totally sure Derek felt them too “Please turn back for a second”.

The wolf jumped and moved nervously, his ears folding back as he glared at Stiles _‘What? … What for…?’_  Suspect, wonder, curiosity, and then a slight sensation of obligation pulling away the wolf from Stiles, but he was a lot more stubborn than Derek’s head.

“It… it’s special. I can’t tell you, I said” Stiles felt his blood rushing through his body and reaching his face. It was not about the time to back away when he was that close, he told himself.

The wolf shook his head. He glared somewhere away, at the carpet, to avoid looking at the boy. Stiles questioned if he was indeed embarrassed _‘I… can’t…’_ The wolf again, whined _‘I’ll be… naked’._

Stiles felt like fainting but held on, gulping in the process. Derek… naked… just what? What? Okay, he needed to look calm, and cool. Yeah, much more than Derek at least.

“Wait…” Stiles said, trying to hide his nervous smirk “The other time you weren’t naked. Don’t tell me you were actually doing…” he narrowed his eyes at the werewolf.

It was surprising how fast and nervously the wolf shook his head _‘What the hell, Stiles?_ _NO!’_ Then he spun on himself, before sitting down again. Stiles wondered if that was a wolf thing too. _‘There’s a little ritual one must go through to keep the clothes and…’_ There was a pant, then a sight. Could wolves sight? Well, yeah, they could absolutely do many things! _‘The point is I can’t turn back right here!’_

Stiles snorted. He tried not to, but did anyway, obtaining a very threatening glowing glare from the wolf’s eyes. Yeah, it would be hella weird moment for both of them, but Stiles didn’t know if he would again build up the courage to do this thing again. So it was now or never.

“Look, you can use my sheets to cover up or something” Stiles said, shrugging, but also knew he was probably looking like a tomato right then “I can also lend you some clothes but we both know nothing will fit so this is faster. Just…” Stiles waved his hands in the air, his word coming out like a bunch of disorganized babbling “Just do it for me. I’ll close my eyes okay?”

Without waiting for an answer, Stiles closed his eyes. Unluckily, their bond wasn’t strong enough for Stiles to see Derek’s naked body through it, but he did know when the werewolf changed back to human form as a little of a cold breeze touched his toes and some light tried to enter his closed eyelids. Stiles really resisted the urge to look for what seemed to be an eternity.

Lucky for him, Derek got werewolf speed, so soon he found his shoulders being touch, a sight a little far away from his face “Alright” Another sight as he watched through his eye lashed Derek’s pale green eyes, his human chin and features “Done, so what was it-”

Derek, for some kind of reason, liked playing dumb. Or that was what Stiles believed for some kind of reason. Maybe sometimes he really didn’t know about the stuff he was about to do, some others it was pretty obvious to know (thanks, werewolves senses, for ruining everything every time). That time, instead, Stiles believed Derek didn’t really know what to expect.

Stiles’ lips touching his in a very excited kiss? No, not expected for sure.

He found Derek’s bare shoulders, his warm, slightly hairy chest showing, and embraced all of it, Stiles lifting his body on top of his knees as he deepened the kiss, grabbing Derek’s chin with one of his hands. The werewolf sit down on his legs and Stiles, without separating, moved forward, one leg between Derek’s knees, kissing as eagerly as he’d never done.

Then he softened, and only little pecks where put on the alpha’s lips. Stiles slowly kissed all the way down to his neck, the werewolf shivering slightly when he reached that part. But he was still not moving. Completely paralyzed under Stiles’ soft touch.

Then he stopped, and glared down at the werewolf. Derek was sitting on his legs and Stiles was standing on his knees to look at his face. His eyes, the pale green eyes, had lost motion. Entirely still as if he was some doll instead of an alpha werewolf looking at one of the human members of the pack.

His reaction brought any hope Stiles could have had down to the ground. He was only _another_ human member of his pack, and nothing more. And he knew he’d been pretty much of a selfish asshole to confess that way when they were crossing very stressful situation.

But now he knew better. He’d never do the same again.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Derek” Stiles said, smiling nervously and holding back the impulse to cry. He looked again at his eyes, then his eyes parted from Derek’s as he slowly pulled away “You know? It’s okay if we just… just forget about this. Shouldn’t we-”

His waist was embraced. His body was pressed against the werewolf’s naked torso as his head was brought forward, his lips being caught in kissed; needy, desperate, deep kisses that left Stiles completely breathless, his back bending slightly to let Derek deepen the kiss further.

Stiles was completely melting against Derek.

Then his tongue… For god’s sake, Derek Hale’s tongue was going into Stiles’ mouth, circling around, licking the insides of his mouth, playing with his own tongue in a never ending battle that Derek obviously won over since Stiles was just focusing on avoiding to pass out because the pleasure of the best moment they ever had until then.

They separated only brief times only to carry on seconds after the other’s breath on his face was unbearable. Stiles was sitting in Derek’s lap, the werewolf slightly covered by the boy’s sheets, the rest of his gorgeous body completely naked as he embraced with his muscled arms Stiles’ body and pulled him closer.

Derek’s hand was caressing his back, one of them coming down (like very much) until touching his pants slightly. Stiles shivered behind the heat of Derek’s hand in his lower back, replying to the gesture with caresses behind the werewolf’s ears, Derek also shaking at his touch.

Separation for a very small distance. Stiles panted nonstop as he took pecks from Derek in his neck, then his chin, then the sides of his face, then his nose, then again against his lips to restart the delightful, hard kisses between the two. Stiles also touched Derek’s naked body, astonished as how such perfection could have fallen right into his hands.

“De… rek” Stiles gasped as the werewolf licked a way from his chest to his chin, through his neck, then back down until he reached his shirt. His hands came up from Stiles’ back and slip behind the fabric. Stiles held back a perhaps not so masculine sound when Derek touched his torso and played with the border of his pants with his thumbs, then climbed up.

However, he couldn’t help the moan when Derek stroked his nipples. And it was the trigger for the werewolf it seemed.

Derek embraced both of his arms around Stiles’ waist, surprising the boy and making him slowly (very, very slowly) snap out of his trance. He was already been lifted off the ground and carried on top of Derek’s shoulder when he noticed.

“Hey, hey, sourwolf” He said, chuckling like a girl without being able to stop “A little more respect to your damsel right here, please”.

The werewolf snorted slightly as Stiles was thrown into the bed, the boy snickering as he bounced in the mattress. The werewolf lied down on top of him, on hands and knees, covering the boy with his body. Stiles turned his head slightly to the side, a call for Derek to start kissing his neck again.

Derek reached and touched the skin of his neck with his nose “I’ll show you respect” Then he was licking again, in some strange pattern that made Stiles thought he was joining all of his freckles with a line.

He smiled and laughed. Derek licked his throat, and his Adam’s apple “Points for making it sound dirty” he said, chuckling again as he grabbed Derek’s chin and brought it up to make the werewolf’s green eyes look at him “Now here’s your prize. Proceed wisely”.

Derek snorted, his head shaking slightly like his wolf self “Are you asking me to do what wisely again?”

“I’m asking you to do _me_ wisely” Stiles said, grabbing Derek’s face as he got closer to peck Stiles’ lips “Or hard if you want”.

An eyebrow was lifted “Wisely… then hard?” Derek asked, pecking the corner of the boy’s lips again and again.

“I’m not that picky” Stiles shrugged.

Derek laughed. It was the first time Stiles had heard him laugh that easily, like nothing else mattered. And he found it beautiful, the whole way he laughed, his smile, his face not frowning or glaring or scowling or anything else. Just the two of them, right at that moment.

“Noted”.

Derek said as his hands slipped down his shirt again. Stiles’ back arched as Derek’s hands stroked his nipples, letting go of moans he never thought he would give any other man than him. He used his opportunity to slip his hand and caress Derek’s abdomen, surprising himself by how firm it was and how much muscled there was. Then he caressed his chest; the big, bulky chest until he unconsciously reached a nipple. It seemed Derek’s reaction was so appealing that Stiles could not hold himself back.

His hand was coming down again when Derek made him stop. Werewolf speed again and he was faster to touch Stiles’ boner through his clothes than Stiles had been to touch his naked one. Stiles’ spine curved once again as he lifted his hips again Derek’s hand, leaning into more pleasure. That’s when the alpha caught his lips again in kisses that left Stiles thinking it was heaving.

Just then, he noticed, as Derek’s body became completely still.

There was something inside him that had been growing non-stop, not only his feelings for Derek aching on his chest, it seemed. It danced, it moved, it was so eager Stiles had never noticed about it. It was rising between their bond so fast neither of them had noticed until they’d left their guard down.

It was so strange. It was like being connected to an extension of one self that was currently in another body. That’s exactly how Stiles would put that feeling in words, unable to explain more than the constant reaction of heat and pleasure exploding between right until then, when it all stopped.

The flow of his magic seemed to only make it worse, bigger, and uncontrollable. The heat was getting so huge Stiles didn’t know how to stop it anymore. Derek also seemed to sense another flow of energy hitting their bodies.

_‘Stiles…?’_

He was glaring at him, his eyes confused, glaring red, unable to tell what was going on with that overload of energy. Stiles knew that was no magic, and that the energy was appearing from the sensations both of them were having leaking into the bond and stretching it to the fullest.

Stiles looked directly at Derek’s red eyes when his magic took all the control.

_‘Master! Old man!’_

His conscious self snapped, but couldn’t do anything anymore.

_‘I can’t feel you two! You’re drifting away!’_

Stiles knew. They were connecting. They were looking through the other due to a sudden overload of his magic, probably provided by the Arlhim boy’s energy being once again swallowed by Stiles’ own. Deaton had warned him before magic sudden grow could be slightly uncomfortable if that happened in front of another person, because if the bond was strong enough, their connection could be affected by it. As to how, Deaton said it depended on the bond and the person.

As he looked at Derek, his figure flashing out of his sight to be replaced by a load of memories coming from Derek and melting with his own into one, Stiles regretted not having control of his magic.

_‘Derek!’_

He tried to reach him, but then again, he couldn’t.

* * *

 

_Stiles looked down at the boy that suddenly popped out of nowhere in front of him as the light of the spell of loyalty that nurse had casted in front of Derek slowly faded._

_He lifted an eyebrow as Derek seemed to snap out of something he didn’t know about. Kneeled in front of the alpha was a boy, maybe a head smaller than Stiles, gray eyes looking up at Derek, his brown slightly long hair dancing in his magic energy. HIS magic energy, ‘cause that person was a boy, and not the woman they had met._

_“Eh…” Stiles said as the boy stood up and stared at Derek, the alpha looking down at the boy. Stiles looked between the two until he glared at the younger’s face “Excuse me, kid. But who the hell are you and where is the woman that was right here just a moment ago?”_

_The kid glared at him, frowning so deeply that it made Stiles think he was pouting “What are you talking about now? Are you mad?” The boy glared as Stiles as he was indeed mad. Derek felt another wave of confusion as he tried to glare at Stiles “I told you I was not a woman, bird boy, but you should tell it’s me by my magic”._

_“Yeah, I know” Derek turned at Stiles, narrowing his eyes. Stiles just waved his hands in the air as he pointed at the boy “But… but- Just look at him! He’s a kid! Nothing compared to the woman that even I, being gay, have to admit was a babe!”_

_The boy did pout this time though, his blush rushing to his ears, makings his whole face completely red in fury “God! I’m not a kid! I’m only a year younger than you!” Stiles probably was thinking it was as adorable as a kindergarten boy, and probably wanted to tease more, Derek thought._

_And he did “You’re so small I’d obviously doubt your words, kid” Then he seemed to consider the boy’s words “Wait a moment, was that something you researched too, you stalking brat?”_

_The younger boy seemed angry, but Derek didn’t have to smell him. He just knew he was angry even when his face didn’t show it off “That’s a big mouth for an old man like you. I though you gained experience and wisdom with age but this…”_

_“What the-” Stiles started. He smelled pretty annoyed “You know it’s true, don’t you, meddlesome brat? Now you’re telling me I’m old! Derek’s older than me to start with-”_

_“Master looks good for his age” The boy declared “You, on the other hand, could probably receive some beauty treatment. Your white hair is starting to show”._

_“Old you say- Wait, ‘Master’ you called him? That’s it-”_

_“Stop it, now!” Derek roared, his eyes glowing red “Both of you!” He looked at one then the other. The boy relaxed quicker than Stiles did. Derek was perfectly aware he never really listened to anything he said until it was absolutely necessary or it was a life-death experience. Derek guessed Stiles though it was none of the above, because he wanted to talk again “Just no! Stiles, we don’t have the time!”_

_Stiles turned to the pack. All of them were looking, expecting for anyone to say anything to them, to explain the situation at least. They were confused, Lydia being held by Allison so she could not butt in until they were ready doing… whatever they had just done in reality. Sheriff Stilinski was glaring at his son, then at him, maybe asking without the need of words if that was something he should worry about. Derek wanted to shake his head but didn’t._

_“Well, It’s completely going to be fine, guys” Stiles suddenly said._

_Derek turned back to him. He smelled nervous, but pretty firm nonetheless. Maybe he was indeed afraid of whatever him and the little boy beside him was feeling, some magic Derek didn’t really understand by himself. He could only hope and trust Stiles with his life. Stiles glared at the boy, then at him._

_“I think I’ve got a plan”._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, just to clarify, Deaton's master was indeed Talia Hale, the head of the family (If that wasn't made obvious I mean. I'm sorry). The nurse was not a woman (lol) oh and Stiles is seeing Derek's memories of three days before.
> 
> I was thinking I could write a fic about Deaton, and maybe tell his story a little since I have many ideas about him.
> 
> On the other hand, sexy Sterek time got cut, but please don't kill me. There's more ahead ;D


	6. The plan, the danger, the angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uff, I'm so so so so terribly sorry for the delay. I was really not planning to get sick right before finals week and it kinda went to hell right after that.
> 
> Anyway, here I'm back on my feet and ready to continue the story. To make up for the lost time I'll be posting two more chapters between the next two days (yay drama!).
> 
> I hope you readers like them. This one was slighly longer than the others but I just didn't know were else to cut it (lol, I kinda left it like that after trying)
> 
> Enjoy (and welcome back, me XD)!

_Derek glared from behind his sunglasses as he smelled the air, without sensing anything strange except for his pack scattered around the hospital, after having borrowed things from lockers they found in some room to use them as disguise. Most of them dressed up as nurses, while only Sheriff Stilinski, his son and Scott decided to be doctors (although he was absolutely sure the last two only did so because they thought it would be hilarious)._

_He looked as the boy moved from the room Stiles had been kept in to the hallway that leaded to the elevator. Derek took a deep breath once again as he unconsciously frowned at every one passing by Arlhim, trying to control himself from jumping out of his place and breaking his concentration to hide his alpha presence._

‘Don’t worry, guys’  _Stiles had said after he explained_ ‘If everything works out then we’ll have the lead we need to finish this’.

_He really did want to trust Stiles’ judgment, it had saved them before. The main problem was the plan. It was perhaps too simple for Derek to believe it would not fail. Maybe that kind of intellect was what protected the pack before, but he wasn’t sure that would do when they were going against something they didn’t know a thing about. Even Arlhim, being asked, confessed he didn’t know about it._

‘We’re never told anything but what we have to do in order to survive’  _he had said._

_That, indeed, was bothering Derek very much, not only for the feeling of the boy’s past being as tragically bad as his own, but also for being in the dark about what could happen. Before, he would have just jump into the problem without caring for the consequences. But now, with the pack, he learned to consider at least a bit more his situations before risking anything that would be really important, like the life of one of the members._

_That time, however, he would just have to trust Stiles and wait, no matter how much his senses were vibrating._

_Anyhow, he was just there, waiting for someone to contact Arlhim before he had the opportunity to get out of the building, hoping nothing was about to be blown off by some magical power of the pair that had come to kill them and dispose of their former ally._

_Stiles had said very little of the people coming in_ ‘None of us should get overconfident, no matter how it looks. Okay?’  _Seemingly, by the way Arlhim was reacting at first, they were facing a pair of very powerful enemies, and Stiles probably was aware of this fact. Lydia also, after receiving that training from other Banshees in New York, looked very bothered. When Derek approached her, she just declared that she could not hear any voices dying just yet, but indeed sensed a blood-thirsty presence coming closer somewhere._

_Derek on the other hand, couldn’t feel even the slightest change in the air. Normally, people coming from outside of Beacon Hills smelled differently than locals, but he couldn’t sense even the smallest change no matter how many times he checked. There wasn’t even smells of other supernatural creatures. It was like seeing a blank paper and trying to find a small stain of red that wasn’t even there._

_Perhaps, they used some strange trick to hide their smell, since they knew they were going against a pack of werewolves, but it certainly concerned him that they weren’t hiding from Stiles’ magic. Maybe they would’ve assumed he was asleep or something, but that didn’t explain why Lydia was also certain of them being there. So, it could be that…_

_They weren’t really hiding in first place?_

_Derek snapped when he saw Arlhim entering the elevator, his face completely inexpressive, as he held the door for an old lady in a wheelchair. Once in, along with the doctor accompanying her, he pressed the button, and the door soon closed. There were probably like 5 other people inside, nothing to worry about yet. He seriously hoped there were no fights in front of ordinary people._

_That was the signal for Derek to follow them. Isaac was standing within some group of nurses running in the other direction, and obeyed his order of acting like they didn’t know each other. Derek let go a small groan as he walked past him, and knew the others also got the message. Arlhim had started to move._

_Derek took the stairs down to the first floor of the building very quickly. Somebody would shoot an alarm very soon when they noticed one of the rooms was turned upside down, so he had to get out of there soon enough. He encountered a few people that smelled like locals that had lived almost all of their lives there, and nothing particularly suspicious._

_When he reached the first floor is when he realized. Since the contract or (as Stiles called it) the spell of loyalty, he could perfectly feel that boy’s emotions as if they were his own. Weird, but not completely intolerable. At least from that he knew he was good on the inside, a boy manipulated by others to achieve dark, dirty goals._

_The thing was, he wished he hadn’t sensed that amount of distress, because his senses were reacting to it as if he was about to encounter a killing machine attacking his pack. It was enough to make his eyes change color, his teeth pop out, and his claws appear. If he was about to bump into someone, he needed to get himself under control or someone might get pretty hurt._

_The rest of the pack probably noticed his disturbance at the exact moment, but he didn’t know how long it would take them to get there since they couldn’t look suspicious according to Stiles’ directions, and specially remarked NEVER to go alone against them. So, he decided, he would hurry up, since Stiles also didn’t listened to him, he wouldn’t listen either._

_Derek reached the door of the elevator to see it had closed probably some minutes ago. He turned around to look for the people that had been in. They were some of them talking around, some sitting. Derek looked for the boy desperately without caring for other people, when he caught the distant sound of a wheelchair moving through the front door of the hospital._

_He retreated his claws to push the people around, comprehending how much of an idiot he’d been. They’d obviously chosen the most appropriate disguise to be dismissed by anyone, even an old woman and the doctor pulling her wheelchair. Morals were not something they worried over, and Derek hated to admit it was a disgustingly clever move._

_Derek’s senses were going crazy recognizing waves of fear and certainty of death as he got out of the building, almost running at werewolf speed. There was no one outside, so he looked for the boy’s smell. Surprisingly, he couldn’t find it. Derek’s heartbeat was rushing at his frustration. Where to go?_

‘…Think…’ _Derek thought about Stiles’ words that other time he’d shown him a protective spell_ ‘It’s just some magic. Don’t smell, just think about it’.

_So, he tried hard. Very hard. Thinking about the boy he’d just met, about every feature of his face and figure. He wished to find him, he wished to rescue him, he wished to know where he was._

_Then, he felt a heartbeat._

_It wasn’t his own. And it was heading to the forest, at an incredible speed._

_“The powers of gods be my own!” Derek shouted as he ran as fast as he could, some casual drivers reacting surprisingly quick with angry horns as he crossed the street “Allow me to wield the sword of justice to pay my debts!”_

_His transformation was slowly showing. He could almost feel the light surrounding him, his body changing. His legs strengthened and shortened, his skin was slowly being crossed by longer fur. He could feel his body bending over and running in four paws._

_“May the curse of humanity be used for this purpose!” Derek jumped on a line of cars that were in the way. His claws teared apart the top of a couple of cars without wanting to “Let the power inside my soul be released!”_

_He howled._

_His body was no longer human. His limbs allowed him to jump on top of anything and reach the high building without any real effort. Derek ran as fast as he could in his wolf form, passing by the curious spectators, crossing street after street and house after house until he saw the first trees popping out of the horizon. He rushed even more until he started seeing the street that finally leaded to the forest, the smell of the trees rushing into his senses._

_Derek hurried his pace even more, his eyes glowing so much he could almost see the red light around his body as he entered the forest, his claws avoiding to hurt the roots of the threes as he ran. There was a small line of trees that blocked his gaze, and he had no option but to break his way through it with his claws and teeth._

_He couldn’t help the yelp that left him when his hind paw ached. It was almost like being stabbed in the leg without any need of a physical weapon. Derek landed in the ground, groaning when the pain grew as his weight pressed down his injured limb, and desperately shook his head looking around, his senses burning hard into him as he sensed something approaching from the left._

_He quickly jumped and reached a tree branch high enough until another attack almost hit him if he hadn’t jumped higher. Multiple, invisible attacks reached the branches he landed on so quickly he had little time to react. He dodged most of them, the other hitting his body and leaving blood stains in his fur of wolf._

_Derek sensed movement just in time to find the heartbeat he’d been looking for. As more attacks advanced towards him, he used his alpha energy to power up and reach that place in just a jump. It left his body seriously tired, but he couldn’t care less. As he moved through air, he noticed eyes glaring directly at him, and saw the wheelchair again._

_He threw himself at the closest person to him, the doctor he’d seen going into the elevator. The man didn’t move except for his hand coming up and opening, palm facing the wolf. Derek was repelled by one of those powerful strikes, landing right in his chest. His body fell down, aching badly, losing more blood than he thought would be possible. However, he was stubborn enough not to die so easily. As soon as touching ground, he bit down and broke his front paw to trigger the healing. The pain was big enough for his whole body to shiver for a couple of seconds, but he couldn’t care less._

_His teeth came out as he opened his jaw, his body jumping forward and striking the meat in front. He managed to tear a great amount of the skin and muscle of the doctor in front of him, making the man in front scream of pain and fall down. That was when another attack hit him, ten times stronger than before, pushing his body back from the man._

_Derek fought the strength of the attack and tried to strike the man’s whole leg off, but then something slightly different pushed his body down. Derek crashed loudly against a root, making it break at such force. No matter how much strength he used, he could barely lift his head from the ground. Something remarkably strong was pressing his whole body, like being slowly crushed by ten trucks or more. Luckily, being a werewolf, he wouldn’t perish so easily, however, his intern organs were screaming at the same time._

_“Good afternoon, young man”._

_His eyes looked up, searching for the owner of the voice. He felt about to fall into despair when he saw Arlhim’s body being held by the neck right by the hand of the old lady. He looked like a corpse, and her face, wrinkled so much her eyes were hardly opened behind all the flaccid skin, looked calm and hardly altered. The smile on her face would have been overlooked as that from a real old, kind woman from down town if her nails weren’t digging into the boy’s neck._

_“It’s a pleasure to meet the alpha in person” she said, looking briefly at the man, her ally, still on the ground and cursing under breath as he wrapped his injured leg with a part of the uniform he carried “Alone” she looked back, her smile disappearing between the flabby skin “Now boy, why are you following us in first place? Where’s your pack and how did you find us?”_

_Derek groaned, his teeth threatening the woman looking at him. She didn’t move even a bit, but he sensed the movement of someone else at her side. He turned, and just then, stopped growling. There, standing and shivering beside the wheelchair, was a small kid, around eight at most, the fear showing right in his face, his small arms embracing his body._

_The woman followed his gaze, glaring at small kid briefly, then back to the boy in her hand “… Carrying this around is certainly exhausting though. Being tired at my age is no way to start a conversation” Her hand let go of the neck she’d been holding._

_Derek tried to jump out to slice her neck when Arlhim’s body fell to the ground, his head bumping against the grass. His breath felt in a big need to grab a big bite of her head. He couldn’t move even a bit though, and snapped slightly when the kid jumped in place, and got closer to hold Arlhim’s head up on his lap._

_“Now down to business” The woman said as Derek continued throwing growls at her “We all know who you are, and you must at least have the general idea we’re going after you, dead or alive. It’s not very clever to come running to your death, is it? That unless…” She glared at the boy lying unconscious beside her “Taking into account the way you behaved just now, I assumed you and No. 128 became allies, am I correct?”_

_Derek roared at her, his voice echoing between the woods. How long until his pack got there? He had no idea, but he wasn’t about to let anyone from his pack and neither that kid die right there._

_The woman frowned slightly “Very well, then. No cooperation… No. 345” She turned to the kid holding Arlhim, who looked about to faint of fear “How many and how far are they from this place?”_

_The boy was shivering, holding Arlhim’s head tighter “A… about six or seven” the kid answered, his eyes tearing “Three miles from us… coming from the east and…” The kid glared at Derek, and he noticed the cry for help at him “Most of them are… werewolves”._

_“Alright” The woman answered slowly “Are the banshee and the magic user with them?”_

_The kid looked at Derek, his eyes very opened “They…” The kid took a deep breath and shoot his eyes close “There are no humans”._

_Derek tried to hold back a surprised expression. Instead, he pretended it didn’t bother him. The kid shouldn’t be discovered if he at least looked glad Stiles, Lydia and Allison, being humans, weren’t in the group. Derek now knew he needed to take that kid away from those crazy guys as soon as the guys were close enough. If he didn’t, the kid soon would be killed. However, very little he could do with a heavy energy on top of his wolf body._

_“I see… however… Start hiding our magical presence just to be sure” The woman said._

_The kid, surprised, couldn’t find the correct words. His eyes flashed slightly, and Derek knew he was using magic. Stiles’ eyes also changed to a bright, golden color when he used magic. He was in trouble, the three of them were in trouble if someone else didn’t come, and as much as he hated to admit, he needed help._

_“Now” she was turning to the man he’d injured before. Derek knew just from looking hard at him that his tongue had been cut off, he could not talk anymore “Send our welcoming gift to them immediately. I’m sure they’ll like it”._

_Derek shook his head, using all his strength to at least lift a small part of his body, only to be crushed again by a force ten times heavier than before. He held back a cry, and howled instead. Louder, louder, and louder. Again and again until the force became stronger again._

_“Nice try, young man” the old lady admitted, her smile returning “But the shield No. 345 settled around us is impenetrable. No one could come to your rescue in first place”. She turned back to the man some steps beside her “Now that the alpha can’t move, kill No. 128. No failures are to be permitted in the name of Black Crow”._

_Derek could no longer move. His insides were debating between healing and being crushed every second that went by, but he just wouldn’t forgive himself if those boys were to die without him even trying. As desperately as he could, since he couldn’t howl, he shouted from his very soul. His mother had taught him to know how to communicate when he met the right person._

_Yes, his alpha senses were tingling again. The smells changed, people were coming closer to where they were. Derek could clearly feel despair, anxiety, need to protect. He could almost feel the heat and the heartbeat coming closer to where he was._

‘Stiles!’

_They were coming closer, running at werewolf speed, the sound of a vehicle coming through the trees as they entered the forest. They were still so far away Derek thought they wouldn’t do it in time._

_“This is indeed interesting”._

_Derek looked up to find the woman frowning deeply. Just then he noticed she was blind, so magic blinding would not work out again. Her look wasn’t even softening as it had done before. Now she looked like a totally different person, filled up with fury. The kid had started pulling of Arlhim, and only managed to get some steps away._

_“Two traitors in one same day” she said, turning her head to the kid “I liked that fear in your moves No. 345, and I have no idea why you did this, but since you betrayed us, there’s no other option for the two but death”. She made a pause as the words sank into Derek’s head “Goodbye, my friends”._

_Derek could tell the exact same moment a force started to come towards the two of them as his fur bristled, his alpha senses going a mile per minute as his heartbeat rushed. There was no way to avoid the hit, and the pack was still too far away to save the two of them._

_Just then, Derek begged to all of his force to let him fight the grab_ ‘Move!’  _he told himself, unleashing every bit of alpha energy_ ‘Save them! Move! MOVE!’

_But he couldn’t._

_Instead, he heard a voice inside him._

‘As you wish, Master’.

_An explosion of light appeared in front of his eyes. It was so bright his eyelids instantly closed and blinked more than twice to get used to it. A bunch of smoke appeared out of nowhere when he noticed his body was no longer being crushed._

_Derek panted hard as his weak body turned back to human. He needed to heal at least half of the way if he wanted to turn back to wolf again, but he needed time. And hopefully, that situation would just give it to him, enough to grab Arlhim and that kid and retreat with the two of them._

_What he found when he jumped forward was not what he expected to see. Between the smoke, Arlhim was standing, awake, his eyes flashing as magic made more smoke surround them. The kid was clinging into him, eyes shut closed, maybe hoping everything was just some bad dream._

_Derek ran towards them and picked the kid up, turning to Arlhim “I don’t get a thing about this but we’re going back!”_

_Arlhim nodded slightly to start running after him “The fog won’t hold if I’m not there! It won’t last longer than a minute!” he shouted, jumping every other root they found, following Derek’s lead._

_“It doesn’t matter!” Derek roared “We need to set enough distance between them and us! If something comes towards us, you stop it!”_

_“Alright!” He answered, as they reached a tree._

_The tree was huge and wide enough to hide the three of them between its roots.  Derek jumped and landed behind them as Arlhim followed. They panted hard, the kid totally scared between them. Derek tried to adjust his hearing to the sound of steps coming closer, other than his pack running towards them._

_“There’s something off” Derek turned, Arlhim continued to whisper to him “I’ve never seen any of them before, I don’t know what kind of magic they use to make attacks out of nowhere with no spells involved”._

_“There’s nothing we can do to find out without being killed in the process” Derek also whispered as he heard the sound of the wheelchair suddenly going away. Not for long, for sure “What happened to you, by the way?”_

_“I’m sorry…” he said, his head looking down. He looked like a dog after doing something wrong, about to be scolded by his owned. Then, pointed at the kid “I was taken off guard by this guy”._

_The kid shivered again and jumped with surprise when they mentioned him. He looked between them nervously as some scared puppy. Derek looked at Arlhim’s eyes, an eyebrow lifted at him and a twist of his face showing his disbelief._

_“I’m not kidding, Master!” he whispered, scandalized “I know him from the institute they kept us in. His magic is able to block out pretty much anything except for magic attacks, sadly. He blocked my consciousness, but now that he’s somehow taken our side, he’s blocking our presence from those guys”._

_Derek glared at the kid. Perhaps, he was too focused sensing the fear in his eyes that he hadn’t noticed them flashing with different colors. Magic was indeed different in people, and that ability was certainly dangerous in the wrong hands, but right then was not the time to be thinking through all of it._

_“Anyway” Derek said, turning to Arlhim “Listen, we must get some time until the pack gets here. Just then, we’d have a real chance of winning against these guys. So you and I are gonna split up” Arlhim nodded at everything “I’m almost half healed so I’ll be faster in my wolf form. You’ll stop every attack that gets closer to the two of you. As soon as we have the opportunity I will-”_

_Derek reacted just in time to cover the two of the boys with his body. The attack had come out of nowhere and chopped the whole tree off. The wood had been crossed with a solid cut of that strange force, waving back and forth and about to fall their way._

_“Run, now!” Derek roared, taking the small kid on top of his shoulder as Arlhim ran behind him. He was careful enough not to use werewolf speed to avoid leaving him behind. He felt his senses burning again as he shouted at the other “Left!”_

_Arlhim snapped and made a spell quickly. His eyes flashed as a barrier of light, like painted in the air, appeared as his hand made the sign of a cross. It was very bright, and the invisible force crashed against it, leaving heavy waves of energy flying around, throwing Arlhim out of balance before Derek grabbed him and pulled in the direction of another tree, quickly covering behind._

_“There’s no hiding” He heard the voice of the old lady echoing between the trees “I can see everything”._

_The tree they were hiding was again crossed with the huge force, almost slicing their heads if they hadn’t jumped right away from there. Arlhim was panting so hard Derek started to think he was asthmatic, condition even magic couldn’t help, and it was a problem, because he didn’t know if he could carry the two of them not being able to transform into his wolf form. He regretted having used his alpha energy before._

_“It’s… foresight…” Arlhim panted, his body slowly tiring from running and stopping slowly “She can… see… the future…” This time he was panting heavier than before, and his eyes were wide opened, realizing, looking afraid. Derek decided to pull his arm again and hide behind the roots of three trees chained together by their own branches._

_He was seriously concerned about the wheeze in Arlhim’s throat “Are you okay? Can you stop the attack again?” Perhaps, it was too much pressure, but the boy just nodded._

_“Leave it… to me…” He said, panting loudly. His eyes were flashing, maybe healing himself. Derek really did wonder if those words were true, because if they weren’t they wouldn’t hold much longer. Just where the hell was the pack just then?_

_And he noticed. They were closer than it seemed._

_The first head he saw appearing from the trees was Jackson’s, quickly followed by Boyd and Scott. Erica and Isaac were a little far away from them, running at the same speed. They were already in their werewolf form, but weren’t even prepared for the amount of energy going towards them._

_“Block it NOW!” Derek shouted at Arlhim, the boy nodding._

_The barrier of light appeared in front of them, the werewolves stopping surprised at what they were seeing. The two forces crashed, and Derek felt a little of the invisible energy leaked into the shield, striking Jackson’s leg and Boyd’s arm. Luckily, their limbs weren’t cut off._

_The pack, shocked, stepped back as the forces clashing generated more energy, moving like waves in the air. When Derek was able to see, Scott was helping Jackson as he started to heal his leg, and Erica was roaring beside Boyd’s injured arm. Isaac glared at Derek, his eyes glowing bright as he asked what was happening._

_“Dodge as much as you can!” Derek shouted at them “We can’t see their attacks, but we can feel! Do it!”_

_They didn’t even have the opportunity to process the information when another wave came down and hit the ground at their feet. Isaac jumped back and took Jackson and Scott out of the way. Erica and Boyd jumped back at the same time, but she received a hit that almost cut off her entire left foot. Erica’s blood came out of the wound as she screamed, holding her foot and leg together until it healed. Boyd got closer and took her with his good arm on top of his shoulder, running back._

_His pack did anything they could to dodge the attacks, but it wasn’t that easy. Their bodies showed only seconds after a big amount of cuts. Scott’s torso was bleeding badly, leaving a trace of blood behind him as he tried to sustain Jackson’s body. Isaac had been hurt in his left leg and was jumping around in only one foot. Boyd’s arms was healing fast enough to hold Erica better, but accidentally was hit by another wave of energy and his chest was bleeding, not as badly as Scott’s though._

_Derek tried to transform, and cursed his body for being weak. He turned to see Arlhim, who was still panting. Maybe the “blocking” had been a lot more aggressive than he thought at first. He turned to the kid, when he noticed his eyes flashing again, looking at his pack._

_Turning, he realized his pack was gone._

_But no, they weren’t. He could smell them right there, still standing and healing._

_He looked back at the kid. The child was sweating, his body shivering badly, his eyes about to close as if someone else was draining them off life force. Derek recognized magic exhaustion from the few times it had happened to Stiles in the past. He realized he had no time to lose._

_He groaned before howling. That was their sing to retreat. They wouldn’t let go the opportunity the kid had bought them making them invisible from everybody else. He lifted Arlhim’s body, wrapping his hand in his shoulder and concentrated on finding the jeep in the forest. Surprisingly, it was closer than it seemed, probably about to butt in._

_“Hey” he whispered to Arlhim as he breathed, gazing briefly in the direction of the enemy. As he expected, he found the place empty, but could perfectly smell them now that the kid wasn’t covering up for them “The others are coming. We need to protect them”._

_“I… know… that” he said, panting “I should… be… fine… without running…”_

_“We don’t have that luxury right now” Derek said, hearing the jeep making its way through the trees “I’ll carry you-”_

_“No” Arlhim said, smiling tiringly at Derek. His voice was not waving, and his panting had stopped “I got this”._

_He used the next pair of seconds to think about his quick recovering, when he realized his body was getting weaker. Derek felt the tiredness getting the best of his body, so he reached to break his arm. Arlhim jumped back, his eyes wide, but Derek only showed his pain in a brief twist of his face “Take as much energy as you need” Derek answered, glaring in the direction the jeep was approaching “It won’t run out as long as I keep on healing”._

_That, of course, unless his heart eventually stopped beating, and by the way he’d used the alpha energy repetitively, the event would be nearer than he initially thought. Arlhim looked at him, also aware of that fact “Yes, master”._

_Derek turned just in time to see the vehicle appearing between some trees, jumping in every other root it found. Stiles was driving it, his face focused on getting there first. Derek couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face. Every time Stiles had something in his head, he wouldn’t give up until he achieved it._

_This time, Derek’s senses, noticing the next attacks coming through the air, no longer ached. Instead they burned within his skin so intensively he understood he was about to surpass his own limits. Arlhim turned briefly to him, worried, but Derek shook his head quickly “Stop worrying and block it!”_

_He did as ordered, the barrier of light appearing in front of the jeep, the attack colliding once again. Derek appreciated the sudden boost of power Arlhim had by consuming his energy. Perhaps that’s what they meant with “his kind” being stronger with a master to serve._

_Derek heard Stiles cursing loudly as he did a sharp turn and pressed the break hard. The vehicle almost hit a tree, losing its balance for two or three seconds before landing against a tree bigger than before. Derek almost heard Stiles screaming_ ‘No! My baby!’ _in the back of his mind, or maybe he did say those words judging the look on his face when he climbed down his car._

_“Okay, now…” he said, pulling up the sleeves of the uniform he’d taken before, and frowning “Who was the bastard who did th-”_

_“Don’t you move from there, idiot!” Derek shouted from his place, carrying the kid on his arm. Stiles turned, looking scandalized for a couple of seconds when he noticed the alpha’s desperation from getting there._

_Arlhim managed to block a couple more of attacks as the kid fought with his exhaustion to keep up the spell hiding his pack. If they hadn’t been attacked, meant that foresights couldn’t see what was invisible, maybe they could use that in their favor to attack, if the kid managed to keep up the spell._

_Derek felt unable to reach them without running at werewolf speed, so he pulled Arlhim off his feet to get to where the others were faster. His senses burned once more when a green light surrounded him. Stiles’ eyes were flashing, casting a protective spell around them, but something was different._

_His eyes glowed brighter, and the shield around them was wide enough to cover them all, and instead of disappearing in the air like Arlhim’s spells had done, the barrier stayed strong and unbreakable. Arlhim let go of a short exclamation as Derek finally reached the place, Allison running towards him with Lydia behind. Stiles was standing, focusing on the shield, but Derek could feel the surprise rushing in his blood too._

_“Wow” Stiles mumbled, gulping afterwards “This is new”._

_Anyway, he didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. He left the kid inside of the jeep, already exhausted and fainting. As he closed the door, he noticed the rest of the pack suddenly appearing out of nowhere behind them, entering the shield at werewolf speed._

_“What in the HELL are those guys?!” Jackson screamed, his face twitching “They wanted to chop our arms and legs off!”_

_“They use some magic tricks to know our locations” Derek said, leaning against the door of the jeep as he sighted “It seems the man is able to send invisible attacks, and the old woman can see the future-”_

_Derek stopped when he found Boyd’s hand holding his arm, a worried expression on his face. Similarly, Scott was glaring at his eyes “Are you okay Derek?” he said, the puppy eyes showing “You’re not healing anymore”._

_He hadn’t even noticed his wounds were opening again, and were still bleeding. He noticed his arms were pale, and probably his face looked worse. Bad timing, very bad timing. Arlhim knew he shouldn’t turn back and show his concern, but that didn’t stop Stiles. Without eye contact, the shield weakened enough to let a wave through that was quickly stopped by Arlhim._

_“Concentrate!” Derek scolded Stiles, then looked at his pack “I’m fine! I’ll start healing soon enough” it was a lie, but being the alpha he could hide his lies “Anyway, we need to find a way to stop them”._

_Another attack, ten times heavier than before, hit the shield with so much force Stiles and Arlhim had to step back. Erica moved to stand behind the two “How do we get closer?” She asked, her voice almost sounding like a roar “They can see our attacks if they see the future”._

_“Then we just have to be quick, right?” Isaac asked, glaring at Derek. Most of the people there groaned at him for saying such stupidity when Allison interrupted._

_“Wait, he might be right” the girl said, preparing her crossbow. The others turned to her “Just think about it, guys. If we were able to dodge and protect ourselves it means her ‘foresights’ aren’t exactly accurate”._

_“Actually” Lydia said, appearing from the jeep “That ability has a weakness, from what I heard” She turned to the front, the enemies unable to see “If I’m right, she can’t protect herself with her foresights, but can protect others with it”._

_“Lydia has a point” Stiles shouted from his position. He and Arlhim were sweating, holding back the multiple attacks that were sent over to them “I read that the user of that ability can prevent others with magic”._

_“That’s not it” Derek said, shaking his head and breathing as he wished he could heal again “I attacked the man beside her and almost got his whole foot off”._

_“Maybe she doesn’t mind him?” Scott said, scratching his head slightly._

_Arlhim shook his head “It doesn’t make sense. He’s the one attacking with powerful strikes of energy. She wouldn’t just let him die if they wanted to kill us… Unless…”_

_Stiles thought about it “Unless she…” Then, Stiles gasped suddenly “I got it” He declared, sweat running through his face. A smile appeared on his face “We might be able to get their chips by that”._

_Everybody turned to him. Stiles’ original plan was to immobilize the enemy by spell blinding or temporal muscle atrophy and get the chips implanted in their necks, connected to their spine. Arlhim had mentioned his chip had been burned down within the spell of loyalty, but said he could probably take another’s out without killing them if they didn’t resist. It seemed that chip was a tracker from the organization, and the aggressiveness of said machine was determined according to the magician’s number, able to kill the user if their numbers were around 100 or less, but only to track the user for numbers over that limit. Also, if the user was killed, the chip would go self-destructive._

_Derek was about to say they had rescued a kid with a tracker, but didn’t. It was better to just defeat the enemies and worry about that later. Besides, he was almost sure that a low number’s chip could contain more information that they would probably need in the future._

_“Allison” Stiles said as the girl stepped closer “Please send two consecutive arrows against them. I’ll open the shield just in time for you to do it quickly. First the woman, then the man, okay?” Then he turned to Arlhim “Leave the protection spells to me. I need you to attack the tree they’re hiding in after she does” He just nodded, without further thinking._

_“Alright…” Allison was surely wondering the reason, but stayed silent. She took her position beside Arlhim, pointing the crossbow to the front “But I can’t see them…”_

_“They’re hidding in a branch to your left, Allison” Scott said, smelling the air and getting closer to them “It’s easy to feel their breaths” He added shrugging._

_“Hey” Arlhim suddenly said, Allison turned to him “That’s quite a distance. Will you really be able to do it?”_

_Allison smiled, confident “Are you serious?” She asked, he crossbow pointed at the direction Scott had said “I’m Argent after all”._

_“Get ready, guys!” Stiles said as he prepared to make the shield disappear “3… 2… 1… NOW!”_

_As planned, the shield disappeared for the brief five seconds it took Allison and Arlhim to complete their attacks. Her arrows flew so fast even the air seemed sliced by it, and his magic spell consisted in a light beam that made his way through all the trees without losing force._

_Thanks to the way Arlhim’s attack had opened the way through the trees, as Stiles lifted the shield again, Derek could see their enemies standing on top of the branch Scott had mentioned. The arrows came their way, but the woman wasn’t even injured. The arrow stopped in front of her and disintegrated to dust. The man had the worst luck, since the arrow quickly crossed his left shoulder, making him fell down screaming and twitching of pain._

_Then, Arlhim’s beam hit without fail the tree they’d been standing it, slicing it as good as their invisible attacks. Derek wondered how much of his energy Arlhim had taken to make the light beam, not that it did matter at the moment though. He snapped when a curtain of sand was lifted from the ground and blocked their sight. They were covering themselves!_

_“Stiles! We’ll lose them!” Derek shouted at him as he got closer._

_“I know!”_

_Derek didn’t have enough time to formulate a question or even lift an eyebrow at him. Another invisible attack hit the shield, making Stiles back up a little, however, at the same time making the curtain of sand dissipate in the air. Soon, they were able to see their enemies again. The man was cursing as he tried to pull the arrow out of his shoulder, and the woman just glared at them with fury in her eyes._

_And they were floating._

_All the werewolves gulped as they looked at the two, walking in the middle of nowhere as if the air was the ground._

_The old woman glared at Stiles “This was part of your idea, young magician?” Her eyebrows wrinkled her forehead even more “Very clever, I hate to say”._

_“Well, thank you, scary old lady” Derek saw the smile in Stiles face, partly pleased and partly anxious “When I saw your reactions, I confirmed my suspicions” Stiles pointed at the man twisting of pain in the ground “He’s the one with the foresights isn’t he?”_

_The pack turned at the same time to Stiles. The woman bit her lower lip in frustration and the man suddenly stopped moving. As the woman turned to the man, eyes wide, Stiles continued._

_“That’s why he couldn’t protect himself, but prevented you from the attacks and informed you of our locations. As for the power you have, it’s called magic of nature” Stiles sighted, but Derek could feel the anxiety in his breath “It’s not that your attacks are invisible. You’re able to control the air”._

_“You…” The woman said, frowning at Stiles. The man’s body didn’t move anymore, but he wasn’t dead, Derek could feel his breathing “What did you do to him?”_

_“I casted a spell on those arrows” Stiles said, sweat coming down his face as he smiled at her “If the magic touches the blood of another magician, said person will not be able to move and his magic should be affected for at least 24 hours-”_

_The woman frowned, her face twisted and for a second she looked like a completely different person “… Do you have any idea what this will do to us?”_

_“Yes” Stiles answered, glaring at Arlhim briefly “That’s why I used a spell that will lower the intensity of your heartbeats. Whoever controlling you two won’t know you failed to kill us, and perhaps, we can set the two of you free-”_

_The laugh of the woman cut Stiles off. Her voice was loud enough to be echoed by the trees around, making Derek’s head hurt even more._

_Stiles frowned without understanding “I’m not kidding!” He said, making fist with his hands “We can set you free! Arlhim’s able to take the chips out-”_

_“He’s able to extract the chips of magicians whose number is over 100” The woman said, her laugh started to fade between the flow of air surrounding her. The smile disappeared time after that, blank expression left behind. Derek sensed her misery instead “We… can no longer be saved…”_

_“What?”_

_Silence. Derek stepped forward, the woman glared at him for a moment. The rest of the pack processed the conversation slower, but quickly understood the smell Derek was getting too. It was the first time he felt such a fear of death._

_“The chip is not connected to our spine” The woman continued, making a fist with her right hand “One of our vertebras was replaced with a machine of similar shape, which your friend calls ‘the chip’. If removed, not only will our brains stop receiving oxygen, our hearts will stop beating”._

_Stiles gasped as his gaze filled with horror, surprise, anger. Arlhim’s also had mixed emotions, but was rather overwhelmed by the memories he had of the place he had been kept in all that time. Derek thought it wasn’t possible, but looking at the magicians’ faces and sensing the reactions coming from Arlhim, it seemed it was really true._

_“But…” Stiles started, eyes desperate. He was slightly panting, unable to accept what he was told “We can find a way, for sure. I know a friend who can help. And maybe he can save you-”_

_“Nobody is able to save us, boy” the woman said, waving her hand in the air. Her eyelids opened, her eyes looking at space “It all comes down to this” She turned to Derek, and stared in his direction. He could sense her conclusion “Your lives or ours. I already made my decision”._

_“So did I” Derek said, nodding at her._

_The woman’s eyelids closed and her head bowed to him. Perhaps both of them understood the sacrifices they were making more than anyone else. Another current of air passed by the woman’s feet, felt by Derek’s senses. The wheelchair started fading away from their sight at the same time the man’s body floated after it._

_He felt Stiles’ arm reaching for his own, grabbing it tightly. He smelled angry, but couldn’t turn his way since he was still maintaining the protective spell “What the fuck did you do, Derek?”_

_“What we need to do” Derek answered, shoving Stiles’ arm off._

_“And you’ll let them kill us!”_

_“I’m letting them fight for their lives. So do we”._

_Stiles’ forehead wrinkled. It was particularly rare for him not to understand something that couldn’t be helped, but it seemed this was the exception “We could’ve saved them! If we researched a little-”_

_“They took their decision, Stiles!” Derek shouted at him._

_“There’s always a possibility we could-!”_

_“But we can’t! And they know it!” Derek said as he waved his hand. Arlhim looked down, but Stiles bit his lower lip, unable to accept it “They’ll try to kill us or they’ll be killed! No matter how much you pity them, I’ll end this if necessary!”_

_“And I won’t let you!” Stiles shouted back “They just want to live as much as we do!”_

_“There’s no other way around” Derek declared, glaring sideways at Stiles, who was biting his lower lip, looking at the shield, probably swollen right then “If being an alpha and protecting my pack means I have to end the lives of good people, then I will”._

‘Your lives are too important to me. I’d give mine for all of you’.

_Derek’s body was involved in a bath of red lighting. His legs and arms slowly transformed and soon the black coat was covering his whole form. His teeth grew bigger, his eyes glowed brighter, and his power was melting on top of him to energize every bit of himself, preparing to make the next move._

_He howled. The pack did not ignore his call and dispersed outside of the shield, all of them expect the humans, who would stay and attack from inside of the shield. They wouldn’t resist a blow of air as much, and would die if hit. Werewolves had stronger bodies and vitality in contrast. Since they were all aware of the nature of the attacks, they knew how to dodge them._

_“Good luck, Master” Arlhim said, bowing his head at Derek as the wolf turned to get out of the shield from behind the jeep, using it as a cover for his next attack, since his speed was a lot faster than the others’ “I’ll be protecting you and the others from here”._

_Derek gave him a slight nod as he headed towards the jeep. His mind was already accepting the thought of having killed two more people whose faces would forever be engraved within his memory, and again the feeling of his dirty hands would haunt him at nights along with all the faces and lives he’d ended. This would not be the first or the last time he would have to kill._

_“Wait”._

_The wolf turned at the same time the battle started to go wild outside of the shield. The pack was doing an excellent job dodging, with only minor bruises that healed almost immediately. Allison tried to get the location of the old woman to strike her down with an arrow, but it would not be easy since she disintegrated them in the air. Lydia was glaring at Jackson, jumping down from a tree._

_Stiles’ breathing was uncontrollable. He felt frustrated at not being able to change anything. His nails were drawing blood out of his palms. The boy waved his hand at the wolf to point out one of the biggest trees ahead of them._

_“They’re in there” Stiles said, his eyes watering from fury “Strike the man first. He can’t have foresights for his own protection. The old lady won’t be able to see us anymore if you do that…”_

_Derek felt the rage coming from his body as part of his own. Unfair, for sure they were both thinking that was unfair, and yet they were manipulated by a hand that remains in the darkness, waiting in the unseen for the evil plan to work out by itself._

_But someday, they will kill the damn bastard for real._

_“Derek” Stiles said, briefly glaring for only two seconds “Make it swift”._

_The wolf felt like smiling to himself. No painful but instead quick death was what he’d in mind for those two. After all, the man had lost a lot of blood and was probably at the edge, and the woman was way too old. What they both deserved was at least peace._

_Derek howled as he jumped out of the shield. His pack answered back as they made an opening for him to get closer to those people. Jackson and Boyd quickly pushed the branched of the trees to block the sight as he passed, Erica used herself as decoy as Isaac bought their attention far away, and Scott accompanied him to the closest branch._

_Scott was the one used as a decoy in the end. To allow Derek to jump closer, he headed to the woman at full speed, roaring loudly. Isaac came closer to distract the woman for the brief two seconds it took Derek to get closer. Even the woman’s reactions to the noises around her would be fast enough to stop Derek’s next movement._

_As the woman slowly turned back to the man beside her, standing only because currents of air were lifting him from behind, Derek jumped forward at wolf’s speed. The man’s eyes opened widely, watering slightly at the sight of the big wolf with red eyes, claws and teeth out, coming right at him. Then, his expression just softened, like knowing what was about to come._

_Derek sliced his whole neck with his claws._

_The woman’s blind eyes opened like two plates. Her expression started filling with horror when her hands were splashed with the man’s blood. The wolf made sure to let his body fall off the tree in order to avoid staining the old woman more than she’d already been._

_The now headless man’s body fell and hit the ground soundly, probably breaking the spine of the dead. Fluids came out of the sliced body, filling the openings between the roots and the fallen leaves of the trees. The head soon landed near the body, rolling some inches towards the next tree until it stopped and some big root._

_The eyes of the man were still calm, even dead._

‘I’m sorry…’

_Derek found himself glaring at the body perhaps too long than he should’ve been. Realizing, he closed his eyes and turned around. Then, when he was about to take down the woman too, his senses started burning. His ears caught the sound of something moving through the trees somewhere far when he caught sight of Isaac and Scott too close to the wheelchair._

_He roared as he pushed, accidentally bruising, both of them out of the way, the werewolves falling off the tree with an exclamation of surprise. Derek’s body, instead of both, was caught in an attack, and not exactly coming from the air around to be precise. It was fire. His whole body was on fire, and the flames were consuming so quickly too much of his fur he was obliged to turn back._

_“DEREK!!” Derek heard his pack angry voices calling his name as they got closer. Stiles’ voice was among them as Arlhim stayed on the back looking for the kid and the girls._

_“He was my son!” The woman beside him roared. Her eyes were glowing brighter than before, and her skin was turning greyer. Tears rolled off her face uncontrollably. Her face was contracted in rage “HE WAS MY SON!”_

_Nothing much he could do to put the fire out. The flames were strangely powerful and effective, and his body was immobilized by the air blows the woman was directing at him. His pack was held back with the roots of the trees moving on their own and grabbing their feet down. Allison’s arrows dissolved in the air without even landing near the woman._

_“YOU’LL PAY!” The woman screamed, her sadness almost too much to bear, surpassing the enormous pain he felt “YOU’LL ALL PAY!!”_

_As the air became thin and his skin unable to hold back the magic fire, Derek felt there was no option left but to be burned alive within his sins. Yes, he should have protected his pack better, but then again all they wanted was the alpha, so perhaps they wouldn’t have to worry in the future. If he died, maybe they could have a peaceful life with their loved ones…_

_Stiles immediately caught his mind. He was looking at him, eyes opened in exaltation, holding his breath back like a child about to see a horror movie. He seemed scared, fighting the power of the magician to get to him, crying at being unable to grab Derek’s hand…_

_Ah, yes, he’d miss the pack. Jackson’s whining at trainings, Erica’s bad mouth, Isaac’s sarcasm, Boyd’s kindness, Lydia’s sharp comments, Allison’s compassion, Arlhim’s potential, Scott’s obliviousness…_

_And he’d surely miss Stiles, above many things._

_But he hoped they could live on..._

‘Goodbye, everyone’

_Derek honestly thought his life had ended._

_But it didn’t._

_His body had become so used to the feeling of heat that he didn’t noticed when it started healing by itself. It seems, his alpha energy had managed to hold back the majority of the burn damage and his only bad injures were the cuts on his body and bad burns on his legs. Other than that he was just fine._

_And flying._

_Wait…_

_He was just fine and flying…?_

_How…?_

_The eyes of the people on ground conveyed all of his thoughts in a very coordinated drop of jaw from everyone. They were all glaring at him, unable to believe what was happening. Derek himself, wished he understood more than just the little fact that he was flying._

_It took longer than normal to notice that arms were holding his body tightly and avoiding him to fall down. Derek knew those hands, and turned his head slightly to discover just what he was expecting to see attached to his back._

_“Hey. Nice weather up here isn’t it?”_

_He tried to smile at Stiles’ usual behavior even at times like that but he just could manage some twisted expression on his face, along with a deep frown. Stiles’ body was the one lifting Derek? The answer was ‘Yes, of course’._

_And Derek understood why._

_“Stiles, you…”_

_Derek glared at the sparkling, black feathers coming from Stiles’ back, trying to be marveled at the beautiful way they moved in the air, the small sounds of crystals as they hit each other, the shinning magnificence of their elegant movements in the air. He really did try to be distracted by these._

_If only Stiles’ wings weren’t breaking his bones at every flutter._

_Derek’s eyes opened more and more as he heard Stiles’ bones being destroyed one by one inside his body. Stiles just glared at him, distracted, like being submerged into some strange place “You okay, man? I’m letting you down before I finish this thing and then we go home”._

_When was Stiles so calm about killing?_

_The answer was: He was NEVER calm._

_And Derek simply knew when Stiles’ presence started disappearing within his body. That lively, annoying person just began to fade while another arose, one that didn’t care for the lives of the other people, one that smelled of blood thirst, one that had a terrifying smile across the face._

_“Stiles!” Derek shouted as he grabbed the hand on his shoulder. The boy was flying down faster than expected, maybe towards a branch “Stop it! I’ll finish this, just take me there!”_

_The dark wings fluttered a couple of times in the air as Stiles just continued to stare at him “… What are you talking about Derek?”_

_Suddenly, his eyes were no longer the sweet amber color they had been, or the golden one they were when he did magic. Instead, they were downright red, like blood coming out just to dye them. They shined, and matched a ruthless smile on his face._

_“Our opponent just unleashed the magic of nature in exchange of her life” Stiles said, as calm as someone would mention some title on the news “That just makes this kill a lot funnier”._

_Who was that?_

_Who had just talked from Stiles’ mouth?_

_Because it was not Stiles…_

_That person wasn’t Stiles!_

_Derek could hardly notice the moment they were close to ground. The movements of the winged boy were faster than those of his wolf form and particularly hard to follow, especially as injured as Derek was in that moment. The wings started fluttering slower as the grab around his arms let go very slowly._

_Suddenly, his body was released, landing on the ground that was still like six feet far away from the winged. Scott was the first one to approach him when he couldn’t stand up again, his knee pressed against a root, and Isaac soon followed behind him. Derek looked up._

_The wings moved gracefully around the currents of air sent by the woman. The boy moved from place to place at a surprising speed while the roots, moving on their own, tried to catch him, and the air attempted to cut him in two parts. The earth seemed to react to his presence and jumped out to try to end the life of the winged boy._

_Instead, Stiles (or the person that looked like him) avoided the attacks almost like he was dancing among them. The roots occasionally just dissipated in the air, and the constant attempts to set fire to his wings were simply extinguished._

_Then, just as a huge wave of air headed towards Stiles, he seemed to disappear for a moment. But Derek was able to see his movements crossing the current of air and speeding forward. As expected, the dark wings appeared again in front of a branch, and Derek saw the woman standing, the wheelchair already gone._

_Her body seemed emaciated, dry, malnourished all of the sudden. Her eyes were wide opened, and her face twisted in pain. Whatever she was doing was hurting her badly, and the next movement of Stiles’ arm wouldn’t help ease it but increase it instead._

_Stiles cut off her arm._

_His face, the merciless smile and the wild eyes, they were splashed in blood as the uncontainable screams of the woman filled the air around. The winged boy retreated from the branch and the woman could hardly do anything more than making her lungs tired by screaming her soul out. A current of power unleashed around her, multiple attacks hitting the trees around her._

_Derek felt in need of air when Stiles passed near them, dodging the multiple attacks coming from the woman. Even from inside him, he knew Stiles’ soul was drifting away, being eaten by this cruel presence that currently flew off to strike the body of the woman again._

_But no, Derek wouldn’t let that bastard stain Stiles’ blood any further._

_“Scott, Isaac!” Derek called both of them. Isaac turned immediately, his eyes glowing. Scott was still glaring at the winged, jaw-dropped “Listen to me! We’ll stop Stiles!”_

_Derek used every last bit of energy he had to focus the healing on his legs. Soon he was staggering to stand up, when Scott moved over to let him use his shoulder as support. The poor guy was still glaring at his best friend, unable to believe the remorselessness of his actions._

_“What…” Scott said, his voice waving, his eyes full of horror “What do we need to do?”_

_“You two will have to attack him” Derek said as he watched the wings fluttering fast and moving towards the woman again “Do it! Do it, now! GO!”_

_Isaac and Scott ran towards the tree Stiles was heading to when he disappeared once again. Derek’s legs were recovered enough for him to use his alpha energy to jump forward, trying to reach the branch the woman was in just in time. However, when he was about six feet from there, the dark wings reappeared again in a bath of blood._

_Not only was the other arm cut off, but also one of her legs and a part of her chest in one single movement. The blood came out and stayed on the wings, but started evaporating as soon as touching them. Stiles’ face, smiling wide, was crossed with a stain of blood._

_The woman’s screams started fading as Stiles lifted another hand to aim for more pain. Derek intervened. He bit Stiles’ arm so hard he almost teared the skin away. The winged twisted at the sudden attack and retreated, disappearing from Derek’s sight._

_“Attack him now!” Derek roared his betas, all of them jumping forward to neutralize the winged boy. The alpha moved to grab the body of the woman._

_Stiles seemed enraged, mostly because of the sudden attack from Derek and the pack “What’s this?” he said, his voice sounding somehow metalized, like it wasn’t his own but that of a machine “I thought you were all allies! But instead you’re nothing but traitors!”_

_“Stiles!” Scott shouted, as he stood beside Boyd, about to jump forward “Snap out of it, man! This isn’t you!”_

_“This isn’t me?” laugh. Cruel, cold laugh of that someone “To tell the truth, THIS is the REAL me”._

_Suddenly, he disappeared. Even Derek couldn’t follow his movements until he reemerged in the middle of the werewolves, all of them surprised and turning very slowly in his direction. The winged extended one hand to grab Scott’s neck tightly._

_“I’m an angel” he said, the smile wide enough to touch his ears “And you’re nothing but scum at my feet”._

_A bunch of energy of a golden color came out of his wings and hit the closest people around. Erica screamed as the energy hit her chest like razors. Boyd received a lot more damage around all of his body, but managed to jump down and out of the way grabbing Erica and Jackson, the only who had remained almost unharmed. Isaac’s leg was bleeding badly, and he collapsed perhaps too quickly, maybe getting hurt a lot more than Derek initially thought._

_Scott’s eyes opened like two plates, and Stiles smiled wider as his hand was lifted “I hope you enjoyed your time with the human Stiles” he presses his nails dangerously close to Scott’s heart “Because he’s not coming back. EVER-”_

_His cheek was cut. Instead of finishing Scott’s life his hand touched the recently opened wound in his cheek and looked at his blood. He stared long enough for Scott to fight his grab and manage to get away really fast and take Isaac’s body out of the way. Stiles stared at the arrow sticking out of one of the trees ahead, and glared at the blood in his hand again._

_He laughed “Well, this scum had got some aces up their sleeves it seems” Stiles turned around and saw Allison, his eyes bright red “I shall wipe you all in the name of god”._

_He started moving slowly towards the humans of the pack. Light beams were shot at him with no use, he deviated them waving his hand as if it was nothing but air bugging him. Scott ran behind him with Jackson, trying to pull him back to no avail, since at every touch burned them like hell. Even hitting with branches was of no use when they dissipated in the air._

_Derek could only watch while holding the dismembered body of the old lady, taking away her pain. He needed to reach out and help his pack, but he didn’t want to kill Stiles, and neither did he want him to kill any of the pack. He needed to find a way out of that situation._

_“Young man…”_

_Derek turned at the movement, feeling about to gasp at the sight. Tears, rolling off her face, and a sweet smile crossing her old lips._

_“He still remembers you…” she said, gasping slightly for air. How she was still alive was a mystery “I can feel it in the magic around him. His soul is crying out for your pack… And for you”._

_Derek’s face twisted a little when her face lost all of its color. He pressed his lips into a straight line as he got his hand closer to her neck. The woman just smiled as more tears came out her poor body._

_“Young man, save your family” she said, her voice fading away as she started to chock slightly “I… also wanted to live with mine… I wanted to live so badly I did anything… And my son” now she was gasping out of air “… To think he would be gone before me…”_

_Derek closed his eyes as he touched one side of her neck. She smiled again._

_“Please, live” she said “For both of us”._

_Derek’s claws sliced her neck, and the woman’s tears stopped flowing. Her eyes darkened, blood coming out of the wound, but her smile stayed even after dead._

‘My pack will live’ _he thought as he stood up_ ‘I promise’.

_Derek jumped off the tree and used the alpha energy to reach Stiles’ path in less than a second. Quicker than thought, he was already standing three feet ahead from Arlhim, facing the dark wings moving in the air and the pack constantly being thrown to the ground and standing up again. Allison continued to send arrows that dissipated in the air, and Arlhim’s light beam did nothing much either except for being deviated to one of the pack._

_He waved his hand and Arlhim immediately stopped attacking. He looked surprised and desperate, but stopped seeing Derek standing in front of him. Allison also glared between the two and stopped shooting arrows at Stiles. Scott and Jackson didn’t stop attacking, nonetheless._

_Derek was about to howl at them to go away when instead, the wings expulsed again the golden energy that sent both of them flying in different directions. Derek smelled blood coming from them and figured they wouldn’t be able to move anymore._

_Stiles was looking at Derek. Red eyes against red eyes._

_“Well, well” he said, the smirk looking like a twist of his face “It’s the alpha and traitor number 1, how are you?”_

_Derek fulminated him with his eyes, but Stiles didn’t stop moving towards him “Get the hell out of him” he made a fist with his hand and stared, no teeth, no claws, just his human form “Now”._

_The winged one just scoffed, waving his hands in the air “Really…” He said, covering his mouth as if he was about to burst into laugh “Of all people I’d really thought you were the one who would take this seriously” He sighted, smiling “I guess not”._

_“I’m not going to repeat myself” Derek kept in mind not to transform even when all of his senses were telling him otherwise. He’d stick to his human form no matter what._

_“Well, I don’t want to repeat myself either. Didn’t you hear me?” He said, waving his wings in the air a couple of times, maybe to get used to the air around “I AM the real one” he pointed at himself, in an overdramatic gesture “If there’s one to disappear then it should be the human, not me-”_

_“Stiles deserves to live more than a monster like you” Derek cut off._

_There was a twitch on his face “He deserves… WHAT?!” his face contracted in rage “I’ve been here long before! I’ve been in this good for nothing place you call earth longer than all of you together, but I’m trapped inside of this body! I AM THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE RULING!”_

_“You belong within those chains”._

_“Some lowly scum like you-”_

_“All of them” Derek said, glaring briefly at the places everyone were lying in, hurt, unable to continue fighting “They are worth a lot more than you” He paused , feeling his eyes weakening. He’d used too much energy; he wouldn’t heal anymore “Stiles is worth a lot more than you”._

_Silence. The winged became serious, staring at him with his eyes glowing bright red “Do you want to die that soon?”_

_“You couldn’t kill me”._

_“Oh, really?” He lifted his hand. A gold-colored energy surrounding it._

_“You couldn’t kill them either” Derek said, making the boy’s face twitch in rage. Derek glanced at his pack, scattered around, crawling over to him desperately “You have the power to kill them, but you didn’t. You couldn’t, just as you can’t kill me-”_

_A bunch of blood came out of his mouth. Derek’s torso ached with pain as he gazed at the red eyes looking directly at him as the hand covered in magic crossed his body. His pack screamed around him, terrorized. Lydia’s cry echoed in the forest, the scream of the banshee announcing a death soon to happen. Derek could only watch the red eyes as they looked back at him._

_They stared at each other until the wings batted twice, and the other’s face twitched in rage._

_“Damn”._

_Derek held his hand and took it out of his body. It had hit one of his ribs and broken it, but other than that he had missed many vital spots._

_“This isn’t over” He said, the smirk still on his face as the red color started fading from his eyes. He looked like a maniac about to go wild “You know I’ll come back to kill you for real”._

_“I won’t let that happen” Derek said as he grabbed his arms and held him still, his wings moving uneasily “Stiles will be the one to live, not you”._

_The smile widened, the corner of his eyes wrinkling at the same time “That’s what you said the first time I was here” the red color started disappearing into the normality of Stiles’ eyes “Did it work?”_

_“It will” Derek said, frowning but glad. Stiles’ smell was returning, and his body was beginning to relax “I promise it will”._

_“How cruel” He smiled at Derek, the last of the red fading away “You’re lucky you’re that cute…”_

_Then it disappeared. Every last bit of red had dissipated in the air, like a river coming off Stiles’ eyes. Instead, the normal chocolate color stayed, darkened for a bit until it lighted up. The eyes looked at his face, surprised, gazing around him and at the hands holding his arms._

_Stiles looked at him, confused, lost “… Derek?”_

_And he couldn’t hide his own relief, neither the smile that appeared on his face “Stiles-”_

_“Aghhhh!”_

_Stiles was screaming, pressing himself against Derek’s injured chest. The alpha held the boy as he leaned forward, screaming at the top of his lunges and occasionally gasping for air. Tears were slightly flowing from the corner of his eyes because of the pain that Derek wasn’t able to take away no matter how hard he tried._

_The wings batted several times in the air before its feathers started falling off them. They were slowly returning to the boy’s back. It was like trying to fit two people inside one, and it hurt Stiles so badly the boy’s soul was crying. The wings, instead, just continued to bat as they slowly disappeared within Stiles’ spine._

_Derek didn’t know what to be more scared about, the sound of every last bone left in his rib cage breaking or the sight of Stiles’ back being disfigured to fit two enormous dark wings inside of his body. And still, he couldn’t do anything else but stay there and watch as everything happened before his eyes._

_As every little bit of the wings disappeared inside of Stiles, a huge hole was left on his back. As soon as the dark feathers were gone, Derek could see the teared skin falling down, the muscles of his back bleeding and even the bone covered in blood._

_“STILES!”_

_Derek’s hands and arms were covered in the boy’s blood. He caught his body and embraced it to put it down slowly, lying him on top of a bunch of trees that were reunited close by. He tried not to notice that Stiles’ spine was showing, uncovered, no skin or muscle, and also tried not to notice the huge amount of blood he was losing and the paleness of his body._

_But he couldn’t ignore it, because Stiles was dying._

_Stiles was dying!_

_He tried to convince himself it was just a dream, some nightmare he had and he would soon wake up somewhere in his house. But it wasn’t, and he was really watching Stiles bleeding to death in his arms and wondering how it all ended up in that situation, what he had done wrong to lose him so suddenly in the middle of the battle._

_Derek wished he could turn time back and swap places with Stiles._

_The pack were crawling over to him, screaming in the middle of pain, their souls crying as Derek’s was. They tried to get closer, to touch his body, perhaps to feel the last bit of Stiles’ life leaving from his body, the sparkling boy they had met and loved so much really about to die._

_“Master! Master!”_

_Derek turned at the voice. Once seeing Stiles dying the world had shut out completely, as if there were nothing else but Stiles’ steady, weakening breathing around him and the remaining warm that was left on his body. But then this voice reached him._

_“Please, Master! We can save him!”_

_His ears were ringing as he heard that. His mind recognized the words, the implication, and the world started opening one again to let the brown haired boy in. Arlhim was looking at him, holding his arm tightly, sweating, and his eyes were flashing with magic._

_“Arlhim…” Derek mentioned, when suddenly he realized the amount of magic energy surrounding the boy. His hand was sucking life force out of his body, making him jump immediately._

_“I’m sorry, Master” Arlhim rushed as he took Stiles hand in his “We’ll be able to save him if we overload him with energy really quick. I can do it if… if I take…”_

_Derek snapped. Because no matter the implications or the sacrifices he had to make, there was a way for Stiles to live. There was a way to see that boy smiling again, looking out for the pack._

_He reached and grabbed Arlhim’s hand, squeezing it tightly, his free hand still supporting Stiles’ neck “Take it all!” Derek shouted at the boy, his desperation arising in his voice “Take all of me if you can heal him completely! Save him! Please!”_

_Arlhim stayed stunned by Derek’s pleading but nodded. He wrapped his hand between the two of them as his lips started reciting a spell with all of his might. The magic surrounded them in the form of bright butterflies that followed some pattern flying around them._

_Derek held back the best he could as his force was being drained out of his body in the worm of those little butterflies that started entering Stiles’ chest, as he expulsed other butterflies of a darker color that quickly dissolved in the air._

_He waited, and slowly, pretty slowly saw the changes. Stiles’ body was recovering the color once again, and the breathing eased. Stiles’ face relaxed, and his hands were slowly dancing between the magic surrounding them. Derek could not wait to see his eyes._

_Then again, he wasn’t sure he would be able to. Stiles still needed to heal more, but his own vital force was running out due to his multiple attempts at the alpha legendary power he hadn’t obtained yet, and Derek could clearly feel his life running out of his fingers._

_But it didn’t matter, since his life had been of use. Even if his own body was breaking, his eyes closing slowly and his heart stopping, at the same time Stiles’ body was getting stronger. Derek tried extending his arm towards him to touch a little of that warmth he gave, but he couldn’t move._

‘Stiles…’

_And Arlhim is scared, looking at him, stopping suddenly. Arms come out to grab him as Scott reaches for his best friend lying on the ground, crying and glad. And Derek knew Stiles would live. As for himself, the cries around him weren’t happy ones._

_But he didn’t regret anything surprisingly. He would meet with his family again somewhere, and would watch over his pack from wherever he would soon be. They would probably move on eventually, meet new people, marry, and have children. His pack would live._

_Ah, but there was one thing he did regret._

_He never told Stiles the truth._

_And he would not get another chance._

‘Goodbye’.

* * *

 

“NO!!”

He felt himself drowning in tears, gasping for air, and straightening up in his bed. The air felt thick and his body was sweating.

“DEREK!”

Stiles started panting when he noticed he was in his room. He looked around, and instead of the forest he found the commonness of his house surrounding them. The need of air increased when Stiles saw two red eyes looking at him.

The next he saw was the black fur of the wolf, and felt the cold air coming from the opened window. The body of the wolf slightly shook in the air as he prepared to jump out of his house in less than a second.

Stiles felt like everything was spinning around him. He had peeked into Derek’s memories of the fight, and everything that he’d seen was just… overbearing. What the alpha saw, what he felt, the way everything in Stiles was shivering within that information was leaving him afraid.

And Derek’s eyes, focused on him, were no exception. Perhaps, Stiles was imagining the frightened he looked, the astonishment shining in his red eyes, the sadness filling his movements. Or perhaps he wasn’t. All in all, Derek was about to jump through the window.

“Derek, wait-”

But he was gone.

Stiles had nightmares that night.


	7. The man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .......... I curse my internet connection, the cause of the new delay...
> 
> Anyway, enjoy more drama (yay)

Stiles had been fighting all that morning the energy coming from Arlhim, decided not to take even the littlest bit of power coming from his hand. His mood, on the other hand, started worsening as time passed by, to the point even seeing Scott’s puppy eyes or listening to Isaac’s voice was hardly bearable. His father even noticed this change almost immediately as he sat down to eat.

“Son, what got you so worried?”

There would be a long list,Stiles thought. He took a bigger bite than last. He glared at the two werewolves crossing the main hall towards the door, probably to go for a run “It’s nothing”.

His father stared without saying anything else. Conversations would be weird for a while, Stiles figured, since he had been really, really close to death two times already. One simply does not act like normally when stuff like that happens, else he would turn as psychotic as uncle Peter, who continued lost, surely hiding somewhere before popping out to annoy them all the more.

Then again, according to the last fight, he was closer to turning psychotic.

 _‘Old man’_ Stiles heard over his magic bond.

The awareness of the magic threads started increasing so much that he had to leave his food half eaten. His father glared and frowned, but said nothing anyway, so Stiles took it as affirmative. He leaned back into his chair, crossing his arms, before answering the call _‘… What?’_

 _‘This is tiresome’_ he admitted, shrugging.

 _‘Well, whose fault do you think that is?’_ Stiles answered, his fingers tapping the table uncontrollably as his leg jumped against the ground. It kept him alert enough to avoid accepting any more unwanted ‘energy gifts’ through his magic bond.

 _‘Yours’_ he was so blunt that Stiles actually wanted to slap his face.

_‘…You got some nerve to say that’._

_‘If you did what you are supposed to, then we wouldn’t be in this situation’._

_‘I am NOT taking any more life force from Derek through you’_ Stiles stood up, grabbing the plate with the food before dropping the leftovers in the trashcan _‘I do NOT care if doing this we’re both dried out, I don’t give a shit about it’._

He seemed annoyed _‘… Rude’._

Stiles reached over and washed the little amount of dishes pilling up in the counter as he heard his father drinking his second cup of coffee and turning the page of the daily newspaper of Beacon Hills. Stiles’ leg continued to jump, making his body look like dancing, but his mind was too focused on its own self-defense to worry about his appearance.

 _‘I want to see Derek’_ Stiles declared over the magic bond, as intensely as he could make his petition _‘I want to see him NOW’._

 _‘He’s… busy’_ Arlhim answered, reluctantly.

 _‘You hesitated’_ Stiles stated.

_‘I did not!’_

_‘I don’t care what you do or why Derek is avoiding me’_ Stiles walked to the table and pulled the chair back in place before heading towards the stairs. He planned to get a hood and go out for a walk, or so recited Stiles as he told his dad the pitiful excuse he’d come up with to go to the Hale house _‘I’m going there anyway. He cannot ignore me’._

Stiles felt frustration in the magic of the bond. Then resignation _‘… He knows’._

He passed a hand over his face _‘Then’_ Looking through his clothes in his drawer and picking something had never been that easy, he thought. Stiles headed to the door _‘Cut it out already. Stop telling me to stay home and stop feeding my magic’._

 _‘Those are the orders. It’s not like I can ignore them even when I know nothing will work’_ Stiles saw small images from the magic bonding the two. Someone was walking around, looking at a door. A house, an entrance, a car.

 _‘Hey’_ Stiles started, getting into his jeep and closing the door _‘Is Derek even there?’_

Silence, reluctance.

Stiles waited the awful amount of thirty seconds before insisting again _‘Answer me’._

 _‘Perhaps, he is’_ Arlhim said, unwillingly. However, Stiles sensed doubt, maybe fighting with the orders he’d been given by the alpha and the ones he was receiving then _‘… Perhaps he isn’t’._

Stiles leaned his head back as a hand passed over his hair _‘So he isn’t in the house…’_ Bending forward, his head rested on the top of the steering wheel as he sighted. His restlessness was worsening by minute _‘…I need answers, you know?’_

 _‘You aren’t the only one…’_ Arlhim answered.

Yes, Stiles was aware that everyone needed answers, and he understood Derek was in the dark as much as he was, as much as the whole pack was. Even Lydia, who had visited him the day before, clearly said not even the banshees of the council in New York could feel anything out of the range of what they denominated “normality”.

The pack had been investigating in the past days, as informed by Isaac and Scott, but found pretty much nothing about whoever was hunting Derek or what was happening to Stiles’ magic. But both situations were as unpredictable as terrifying for everyone.

At first, all the information within Derek’s memories generated a huge anxiety takeover, eventually (and pathetically) making him faint at some point, since he couldn’t remember anything aside from Derek’s wolf form leaving through the window. Even Stiles couldn’t help but admit that he wished he never saw what really happened that day.

As he calmed down, Stiles meditated the course of events, and the first thing he had to look into was the name Derek remembered from the old woman.

Black Crow.

No matter how many times he researched it in the Internet and the information collected from Deaton’s secret library, he found no lead or whatsoever to an organization by that name or even related to the implications of the name in the US. The closest he got consisted in a conservationist organization operating in the outskirts of Sacramento and a geriatric about 4 hours far from Beacon Hills.

Then again, he shouldn’t take appearances lightly taking into account the nature of the enemies they found last time. Using an old woman in a wheelchair and a doctor as the attackers was indeed dirty, but clever. Nobody would see it coming, and a surprise attack was exactly what they were looking for in first place. So, perhaps he had to pay a visit to those places and investigate further.

_‘Please live… for both of us’._

Stiles didn’t know the moment he had started staring at his hand, imagining it covered in blood and magic, cutting the skin as the easiest task, slicing arms and legs as tearing a piece of paper. No hesitation or doubt, just the craving to kill.

The moment from Derek’s memories he’d started attacking his pack and how he dismembered the old woman, even when she was already dying after unleashing the power of nature inside of her body, he ripped her apart like a doll. Those are images Stiles wouldn’t be erased from his mind as long as he lived, because thanks to them he was aware.

He was aware of the monster within him.

 _‘Master says it’s nothing’_ Arlhim cut in, as if he was reciting some old rule _‘You should stop worrying and believe him’._

Stiles massaged his temples. He’d criticized Derek so many times before for the gesture, but it seemed about fine in his situation _‘What are you doing, peeking into other’s thoughts?’_

_‘… You’re one to talk’._

Stiles snorted at that, unamused nonetheless _‘Fair enough’._

The magic of the bond could be used in different ways, Deaton had taught him. Not only did it permit the magic user to know the location and condition of allies, but also allowed the exchange of memories and experiences when the power of the user was synchronized perfectly with the energy of the partner. However, said ability requires more control than usual magicians can handle, and even Stiles had problem mastering it at first.

However, it seemed the increase of his magic force didn’t only affect his protective spells. Rather, it powered abilities to the point Stiles was able to use them without thinking much. Or worse, he would unconsciously pursue them as erratic courses of thoughts passing his mind. This was the case, and Arlhim knew that perfectly.

 _‘I’m supposed to tell you we’re pack…’_ Arlhim said as Stiles looked at some kids playing in the streets and briefly remembered himself as child playing with Scott _‘… and that you wouldn’t hurt us no matter the circumstances’._

 _‘You don’t believe that, neither the pack… or myself’_ Stiles turned on the engine of his jeep as the kids playing got out of the street. Arlhim’s silence only made Stiles’ uneasiness escalate, to the point of needing a distraction from all of that _‘Hey, could you back off for a bit?’_

Indecision, curiosity _‘… Those are not my orders’._

 _‘It will be only half an hour. Nothing would happen anyway, since who they want is Derek’._ Stiles explained as he pulled out. He drove down the street to the nearest convenience store to the Hale house _‘I’m heading there anyway; there should be no problem with that. Besides…’_ The jeep stopped at the red light, and a few kids with a woman crossed the street _‘If we see the other’s memories any further it would be troublesome, right?’_

 _‘I guess…’_ Tenseness, fury, understanding, and impotence. What a mix of feelings _‘… It would be troublesome’._

Stiles poured a lot effort into his triumph card for the argument. The memories he had obtained from Arlhim’s past. His family hunted down, his house destroyed, his hands stained in blood, his magic being constantly manipulated, the chains attached to his soul…

 _‘… I think’_ Arlhim started _‘Half an hour alone would be refreshing’._

 _‘That’s my line’_ Stiles said, pleased with himself, until he received another bunch of memories _‘Hey…’_ His mother’s words and thoughts, her knowledge of a world he had wished to meet on the future, and yet her departure not so long after that _‘Hurry up and disappear!’_

Stiles had to park on the side of the street when the presence of his magic force lightened. After a minute, his body felt completely different, as if gravity had been reduced. It was not exactly unpleasant at all, but rather refreshing as Arlhim had said. He sighted, leaning into the back of the sit.

_“That’s mommy’s true form. That’s what you saw, Stiles”._

How to forget such a sweet smile from her? Every time she glared at the night sky with him, his mother would yearn for something neither his father nor him could ever give her, and yet she was still able to give her son and her husband such happiness.

 _“Someday, when you grow up”_ she said as she caressed his hair _“You’ll find yours too…”_

And Stiles wished he didn’t. He desired with all his might that those words had been part of a child’s dream or from his imagination working at full speed to fill the hole his mother’s parting had left. He wanted all of those images to disappear as quickly as they came out in first place.

Stiles really wished his hands weren’t covered in blood every time he looked at them, not being terrified to hurt his pack every time he woke up, that his magic wasn’t consuming Derek nor Arlhim when he wasn’t aware.

_“Remember, my boy. The secret must be kept… unless…”_

Unless…

Unless, what?

Only then did Stiles realize there was a huge hole in his memories, a gap between one event and the other. Yet, said information was hidden somewhere in his mother’s words and he couldn’t remember anything of it. After all, he was a kid! Little did he know how much of his memories were invented by himself and how much of that was true.

However, as desperate as he was, he could do anything to get those memories back. Maybe something from that information could help his situation, since he’d believed angels were at least sane enough not to turn into serial killers. That, of course, until he transformed and everything got messed up.

Stiles had attacked the whole pack and hurt them. Jackson, Boyd, Erica, Isaac… Even Scott, his childhood friend and brother. He didn’t even hesitate to slice the old woman multiple times, and he really didn’t want to think about what could have been done to Allison, Lydia and Arlhim if Derek hadn’t interfered.

Oh god, Derek.

The alpha had been way too close to death to even handle it. Nobody knew how Derek managed to pull through his life force being sucked, not even himself knew how. All they knew was that, according to Lydia, his ‘voice’ or soul remained in the border between life and death for the days he agonized in bed. And then, everything just went back to normal.

According to Arlhim’s memories, Derek had eventually woken up, and the healing triggered by itself. No consequences, no pain; it just happened. After half a day recovering, Derek was able to get off bed and act like the alpha he was. It would seem that, as Stiles continued to sleep, Derek teamed up with Allison and her dad to investigate about the past of the Hale family, but Arlhim knew nothing of the progress of their research.

But he had little hopes. Whoever it was knew exactly what to look for and how to do it, and surely recollecting magicians as slaves wasn’t something done overnight. It was planned thoroughly and meticulously, and Stiles was almost sure they would eventually drop the bomb on their heads.

Why, where, how? Too many questions and none of them answered.

Stiles didn’t even know when he entered the convenience store, or when he parked and got off the car in first place. As he tried to examine the slightest details of the events, he grabbed all the sweets he could find and many cans of soda. He threw everything in the car and decided to head out.

The whole place was noisier than his current mental state could handle. At least two couples doing their lovey-dovey thing, three old ladies filling up their cars with cans of food, and around 3 or 4 kids running around the store nonstop around their parents screaming for marshmallows and stuff they shouldn’t eat.

Finally, he headed to check out and go to Derek’s place. The alpha hadn’t gone with Allison and her dad outside of the town so he would eventually come back, and that’s when Stiles would have his opportunity to talk to him alone. He didn’t know what to say, but he’d figure it out sooner or later.

“Excuse me, sir. Sir…”

Stiles turned and glared at a little kid pulling his sleeve. It was a girl probably around eight or nine, dancing in her small, pinky dress and smiling at him. She was tall enough to reach his sleeve, but very little nonetheless. Stiles did his best to smile back as he bent down to see her properly “Sorry, is there something you want?”

She nodded as she pointed out an item in the highest part that she obviously couldn’t reach. Stiles looked up to find the shelf of the sweets and many snacks made of pieces of chocolate that he suddenly felt tempted to buy. He cursed not bringing enough money as he stretched his body to reach one of those.

Then, he felt the change. When did he let his guard down? Perhaps the moment he ignorantly walked into the store. Never did he really think about checking the magical energy of his surroundings until that ability unconsciously activated, as unpredictably as the moment he started reading Arlhim’s mind.

Stiles turned around. The people continued to simply walk and do their shopping as nothing. The girl was tilting her head at him, confused. Stiles gave her the best fake smile his lips could make as he crouched and extended his hand with the candy “Is this what you wanted?”

She smiled as she took the snacks “Thank you!”

“Now” Stiles said, standing upright and caressing her head “Would you please tell me what your friends want?”

Soon, a magic barrier was lifted around the building. Stiles also felt a very strong killing intention from his surroundings; then again it could be generated by lots of people from his surroundings. The kid, surprisingly, tilted her head “What are you talking about, sir?”

Stiles sighted as he stopped caressing her head “I would’ve believed you if you hadn’t casted that sleep enchantment in the candy” he looked around, nobody was glaring at them “You can all stop pretending now, since you were going to attack anyway”.

Predictably, people turned and stared at him. Unpredictably, there weren’t only five or six, but all the people of the store. The old ladies, the kids, the couples, even the boy cleaning the counter. It wasn’t his imagination, they all were expelling magic around them as rivers. Slightly overbearing, to say the least.

Stiles turned again and glared at the kid. Her magic was slightly bigger than the rest of the individuals “You must be a low number…” he said without thinking, making her jump from her spot and retreat a few steps as she started casting a spell. Stiles lifted a shield around himself quickly, thinking it wouldn’t be enough against all that people. Negotiating and buying some time, that would be the next course of actions “What is it you want from me?”

The shield sensed a direct attack clashing against it, but it wasn’t especially affected by it. Stiles realized at least two of them had to pursue natural magic attacks, some of them protective spells, and the majority of them specialties like mind control and objects manipulation. It was indeed the best team to ambush him, and Stiles, the idiot he was, never saw it coming.

On the other hand, they might also be aware of his ‘transformation’ issue seeing Arlhim and their other enemies knew about it, so he might as well use it in his favor. After all, they wouldn’t attack so eagerly in the middle of a convenience store if they weren’t nervous about their own wellbeing.

Stiles did his best to fake a confident smile on his face, trying to remember the attitude of ‘The other Stiles’ as he was at it “I’ll repeat myself, since SOME of you didn’t hear me” Most of them stepped back. The girl stood still, but Stiles could clearly see she was sweating “What is it that you want from me?”

“It doesn’t matter since you’ll die anyway!”

The shout had come from a woman behind him. A couple of attacks hit his shield without doing much damage. Even Stiles was impressed by the power of his protective spells, recognizing the huge difference between the only days ago and then.

Stiles turned to the woman as slowly as he could and glared with a serious expression, trying to appear indifferent to her threat “Oh really?” He sighted “Who will do that? You?” Stiles turned at the people next to her “Your allies?”

They all stepped back. Stiles smiled satisfied by the act he was pulling so far, if not scared he could turn into the real thing at any second. However, he was almost sure he could keep it up until Arlhim’s presence came back. Being realistic, Stiles couldn’t win on his own, but he could indeed protect himself for a while.

“Our orders are to catch you” Stiles turned as another woman, probably on her mid-twenties, talked to him. She was beautiful to say the least, but her expression stated fatigue “Dead or alive doesn’t matter, but they were pretty clear they would prefer the second option”.

“What are you doing?!” The man beside her exclaimed “Why are you telling him?! That’s treason!”

“It doesn’t matter if we’re going to be disposed of anyway” She said, glaring at her comrades. They were all reunited around Stiles in a circle. Listening to the woman’s words, they all appeared to be exasperated and pessimistic.

“That’s not true, Maria!” The girl Stiles had been talking to screamed, running towards the woman and grabbing her skirt in her tiny hands “If we do this job, all of you would be saved!”

The woman crouched in front of her as she put a hand on top of the girl’s shoulder “… Nia, we’re high numbers. We’re meaningless…” She turned to Stiles at the same time as other people in the room “We’ll finish the job, but only you and the other five low numbers here would survive anyway”.

So, only six low numbers were in the room after all. Perhaps Stiles would be able to handle them, not that it did really cross his mind in that moment. He couldn’t help but focus on the woman’s feelings of helplessness, and remind those of the old woman and her son from the last fight.

The woman smiled “… How’s Arlhim doing these days? Is he okay?”

The question took Stiles off guard, making him slower to answer, if not troubled “Yes” He answered, shortly. The girl in front of the woman was sobbing uncontrollably “He’s doing fine”.

She smiled. Stiles briefly remember his mother smiling in the same sad way “I’m gla-”

The attack had been so quick nobody predicted it. Stiles felt his heart stopping as the woman’s head fell off her neck and rolled over the feet of the shocked girl beside her. Her body leaned forward slowly as a river of blood reached Stiles’ shoes slowly.

Stiles glared at the people around. They were all stunned and looking at the death in front of them. Horror shining through their eyes, a twist appearing on all of their faces. Even the girl’s sobs were easily suffocated by the overwhelming terror.

A man reacted even before than Stiles, moving his hand to point at you. Tears rolled off his face “It was you…” he said, through clenched teeth “Even though we showed you our humanity, you’d still kill us like the monster you are!”

Stiles waved his hands in the air as he stepped back “NO!” he tried to look reassuring. Then again, he had been a fool to act like a frightening psychopath from the start “It wasn’t me-”

“Liar!” one of the women screamed as the approached Stiles little by little, crying and expelling anger through their magic energy.

All of them seemed enraged enough not to listen to anything Stiles had to say to defend himself. He hadn’t even moved from that spot in first place! It’s not like he can kill people just by thinking and then their heads would come off!

Surely, seeing the situation turning in his favor, someone in the room had delivered the finishing blow to the woman. Now, Stiles just had to find said person and exterminate him or her in the name of the dead. Yes, Stiles was the kind of person to be taken by his emotions, and a bastard that kills allies doesn’t deserve to live in the place of their victim.

Just like the person that enslaved all those magicians. Someday, the pack would find him, and Derek would finally kill the bastard once and for all.

The first attack was stronger than expected. It had come from the little girl. Her face had lost all of the natural color, and her eyes were dark. Her expression was gone, perhaps only her ghost remained. Stiles wished he could save her, but it was no longer possible being a low number as she was.

As this attack took him off balance, the magicians that controlled nature decided to attack with air and light. It didn’t do much in the first case, but the second were really hard to manage sometimes depending on the person pursuing the spell. That way, he easily located one of the other low numbers in the room, and deduced the one beside this person was also a low number by the power involved.

The ground broke in little pieces, and Stiles was glad he’d been wary to put a shield around all of his body. In short, he was floating in the air in a huge magic shield without the need of steeping on the ground. He located other two low numbers as they tried to attack through the ground, and the last one was casting the spell of invocation, and it was pretty bad, because Stiles didn’t know if his shield could hold back monsters.

He didn’t want to kill any of those. He really didn’t want to, but… if he had to, he would “Hey, stop!” Stiles shouted, waving his hand in the air as he received multiple attacks of light that made him step back “We can free most of the high numbers! I’m sure we can! Your friend, Arlhim! He can save all of you by removing the chip!”

“How can we trust you when you killed one of us?!” a man screamed, sobbing between, and Stiles hated it was reasonable, being the only suspect there with no right to defend himself with words “Get him!”

Yes, Stiles would have to kill. Between their lives and the lives of his pack, people who would surely be affected by his death or his capture, the decision was not debatable in any way. Maybe those faces would haunt his dreams forever, but he would do anything to protect his loved ones, even if it involved him becoming the bad guy.

Stiles remembered Derek for some reason. He was the one who suffered that feeling more often, huh?

 _‘I’m sorry’_ Stiles thought, casting the only spell he knew to attack _‘I’m really sorry’._

However, Stiles didn’t kill that one time, because after two seconds all the heads were cut off.

He didn’t know the exact moment it happened. In the middle of the mourning for their lives and the casting? Maybe. After casting the spell and trying to pursue it? Most likely. All in all, the people that had tried to kill him, in less than a second, were already dead.

In just a blink, all the heads were separated from the respective bodies in a bath of blood from different places. The kids, the old people, the men and women there… they were all dead. The heads fell around and rolled in so many directions that Stiles, the traumatized Stiles, could only follow one with his eyes.

The head of the little girl, the tears still rolling off her face, colorless, the ghost that Stiles had wanted to save. Already dead.

“What a mess, indeed”.

The time that Stiles’ awareness needed to kick in was longer than he had expected. His mind needed minutes to process all the scene, glaring at all the bodies, looking at the blood staining his shoes, remembering the cries of the little girl and her lifeless expression before dying. They were all dead.

They were all dead.

“This cost an unpleasant amount of my time, although they were nothing but trash”.

Stiles finally looked up.

There was a person. A man, in his thirties perhaps, floating in the air. His movements were full of grace, and the suit he was wearing had not even the slightest spot of dirt. Impeccable, confident. He rearranged the glasses falling from his nose as he looked at Stiles.

“You should have finished this the moment you noticed, in my opinion” He said, as he moved his glassed again “Else, attachment could be formed”.

Stiles reactions suddenly boosted “You… killed them…”

“Yes. I did” he said, frankly “So?”

The rage flourished inside of Stiles heart so fast even himself was surprised. His magic reacted at the same time, growing as quickly as the fury rampaging inside of him, moving in all direction around him to strike the prey at once.

“Life…”Stiles babbled, making fists with his hands “To take lives of other people so easily…”

“They were meaningless after all. Not worth the time”.

And Stiles couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t bear the coldness and psychotic behavior from whoever that man was. Who cares if he was important to help them find the so called ‘Black Crow’ anyway, even Derek wouldn’t object killing that cruel bastard immediately.

Hs started casting the spell, but couldn’t finish it. In less than a second, the man appeared right in front of Stiles. It had just been a matter of a blink again.

“… What do you think you’re doing?”

Stiles blinked again just in time when the hand of the man appeared in front of him, grabbing his neck tightly. In reality, he had very little problems with that compared with his magic being nullified. It was like having his arms and legs tied and his eyes blocked in less than a second, leaving his body completely useless.

However, he was indeed stubborn, and moved around and bit the hand holding him a couple of times to no avail. The man readjusted the glasses on his face again as he sighted “It’s both remarkable and unwise to continue fighting even when I could take all of your life force in less than a second”.

Suddenly, Stiles was able to breath. His body was also floating, but the hand wouldn’t let go of him “… You” he took a deep breath, trying to dig his nails in the hard, steel-alike skin “You would’ve done that already”.

A smile appeared on his face “True” The man stared at Stiles’ fight against the grab of his hand “You’re so much like Claudia”.

Stiles stopped. Stunned, he glared at the man, his eyes wide open “What… did you say…?”

“You even got her eyes” he replied, his smile slowly disappearing “But why are you still on earth in first place?”

“What…?”

Stiles could hardly move from the shock. That person, whoever it was, knew something else. He knew his mother! That person probably knew the secret that Stiles memories hadn’t discovered yet.

“Why…?” Stiles started, feeling overwhelmed with questions “How do you know my mother?!”

The man stared with an incredulous expression for a couple of minutes top. Stiles wondered if he was thinking about killing more people or telling him the truth, because he really wanted to know just what the heck all of that meant.

“Could it be…” the man said as he extended his free hand to touch Stiles’ cheek “That you’re still inside that shell of yours?”

Stiles snapped too quickly. Maybe, it was due to the bad mood that worsened to that point, or it could also be the man’s continuous, elusive monologue. The point is, Stiles’ patience was at the very limit, and he couldn’t take any longer to get answer from someone at least.

“Look, old, mysterious guy” Stiles started “I don’t know who the hell you are or how you knew my mother, but you better start explaining things now! And clearly!”

The man lifted an eyebrow “Are you in any position to demand explanations from me?”

“That’s not your business!” Stiles said, covering his nails with magic and digging in the hand holding his neck again. Maybe it would have a different effect.

The man sighted as he moved his glasses again “Just like Claudia, no doubt” The grab of the fingers tightened. Stiles felt the need of air as he started gasping and throwing his magic at the man to no avail “But I guess I could show you a thing or two”.

Stiles’ magic flow stopped for the considerably amount of three minutes, enough for Stiles to believe he’d been killed. The magic energy is also controlled by the magician’s heartbeat, it was only natural to believe he was really dead.

However, then it reappeared. Stronger, bigger, and unstoppable. It filled his body from head to toe with an impressive speed, to the point Stiles almost lost the balance between his control and his magic desires. It was overwhelming and dazzling, making everything feel surreal.

He didn’t even noticed when the man let go of his neck. His mind started remembering every little detail of his life as it passed through his eyes. The most remarkable thing he could remember was the image of his friends, teachers, classmates, the pack, his father, his mother, Derek…r

Derek…?

And Stiles saw a light. A warm, tender and comfortable light growing within his heart, taking over his heartbeats to set them wild. It also hurt a little, but it wasn’t unpleasant at all. Instead, he wanted to get closer to that light, hug it, and stay with it forever.

Maybe that’s when Stiles really noticed.

It wasn’t coincidence, nor a simple crush. The feelings that had been growing within him towards Derek were now overwhelming and uncontrollable. What an impressively strange, yet comfy force had been filling Stiles all the time, he thought. And Stiles understood completely why he wanted to see Derek so badly.

Stiles finally understood his own heart.

“See?” A voice made Stiles snap, and he turned to the man sitting in the air in front of him “That much you could do”.

That much?

Well, he was flying, yes, but…

Wait, flying?!

How even…?

Stiles didn’t have to turn around to hear the flutter of the feathers and the shinning sparks falling around him. They were too engraved in Derek’s memories to be forgotten in first place, but he never thought he would get to see them again.

The wings.

They had appeared behind of him, out of nowhere.

Stiles had to actually touch his body repetitively as he looked over his shoulder again and again. No matter how many times he checked, his rib cage was fine, and he had no extra fingers so it wasn’t a dream.

So, Stiles wasn’t dreaming, his ribs weren’t broken, and some guy had managed to take his wings out.

But, something felt quite different.

Stiles extended his hand and the left wing reacted just as he wished, getting closer to his palm. He didn’t even need to touch the black feather to know for sure his suspicions were completely correct. His fingers didn’t feel heat, instead, cold air.

“You figured, didn’t you?” the man in front of him asked, smiling at the flutter of the wings “Those wings are only the result of the angelic energy inside of your body, but not the physical manifestation of it” Stiles looked at his hand, amazed by his new discovery “In other words, you can use the energy of your wings without the need to damage your body”.

Stiles passed a hand over his hair, truly astonished. He’d never believed he would be able to fly without feeling pain or without fainting to let ‘the other guy’ take over his body. He truly thought he would have to control a demon inside him, but yet there was a light. He could learn how to use his power to help.

He wanted to save Derek.

“How…?” was the only thing Stiles managed to say.

“You’re probably thinking about how you can use this power to help your pack, aren’t you?”

Stiles let got a small exclamation, speechless. Another magician who could read minds? That meant their energies were as synchronized as his and Arlhim’s were. That, along with the man knowing his mother, made many bells in Stiles’ head blow off.

“The answer is easy” The man continued “You can’t”.

Stiles felt inpatient “Why?”

“That’s what angels are supposed to believe” The man continued, adjusting his glasses and rubbing the corner of the right glass a little “Then again, you’re in a werewolf pack, something that has never happened, and you’d likely not listen to anything else but what you want to know”.

Stiles frowned “You know an awful amount of stuff about me…”

“It’s only natural” the man shrugged “You’re just like your mother…” Stiles was about to ask how he knew his mother again but the man cut in “I’ll tell you what, I’ll train you to use that power of yours”.

“What?” Stiles exclaimed, considering the offer. He glared at the people around “I’m… I don’t think I’d like to be trained by a serial killer…”

The man also looked at the bodies splattered in the ground “The machines attached to their bodies had been equipped with time bombs. If their hosts' heartbeats didn’t stop eventually or the machines didn’t receive confirmation of the mission’s success around this time, their bodies would explode”.

Stiles had trouble breathing and taking it that information “… Are you saying… they…”

“They would have died anyway, with the slight difference that your life would have been gone with theirs” the man said, impassive.

Obeying Stiles’ will, his wings fluttered and his body flew over to the counter, free of blood and bodies so far. His feet touched the ground just in time for Stiles to stand on a kneeling position. He had to use the counter as support not to bend further.

“As I was saying, I could train you. With only one condition, that is” the man said as he passed by Stiles, his hand passing through the image of the wings on Stiles’ back “I want you to abandon your humanity, just like your mother did”.

Stiles gulped as the memories filled his head. The sadness, the image of his mother leaving from the hospital bed, kissing his forehead and saying goodbye. So that’s what it had been, his mother had left the human world because she had chosen to do so.

“I’ll contact you in two days to listen to your resolve” Stiles felt a hand on his shoulder “You have until then to decide”.

Then, he was gone. As quickly as he had appeared the first time, he was gone. In a blink of an eye, without saying his name or even giving a proper explanation. Nevertheless, it’s not like Stiles’ mind could hold any more information that day.

Stiles realized his wings were gone for good as the man just as his magic flow returned to normal. Soon, it weighted double, and he knew Arlhim’s energy was returning.

 _‘Old man! What happened?’_ he said, anxious, almost panicking _‘Master called me and said you were…’_

When Stiles realized, it was too late. Arlhim’s immediate reaction when reaching his magic energy was to check his memories and know what happened. Stiles could only lift his barriers to hide the presence of the man that had just left the place, and everything else remained uncovered.

 _‘Don’t look!’_ Stiles screamed, desperate. He held his head and tried to look away from the mountain of corpses in the store _‘Don’t look, Arlhim!’_

But it was too late. His memories had been seen by the magician, and Stiles could feel the sadness, the fury, the impotence. And yet, control and no real reaction. Because the master would worry, because master had enough to worry about, because master didn’t need to know.

 _‘Maria is dead’_ he said as tears rolled off Stiles’ face _‘All of the guys are dead… I see…’_

 _‘It’s okay’_ Stiles started _‘Someday… someday you’ll be free. And you’ll live for all of them’._

The regret raised, desperation, helplessness. Stiles remembered Derek’s promise and desire to free the boy from the chains of the past that held him.

 _‘I promise’_ Stiles said, cleaning his tears and getting up _‘I promise you will’._

_‘… Yes’._


End file.
